


Wolf and Dragon

by Ruetknight



Category: overwatch
Genre: After Recall, Alternate Universe - Dragons, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Anger, Angst, Asexual, Asexuality, Dragon Hanzo Shimada, Fluff, Frank Discussions, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, M/M, Sexual Tension, Strong Language, Stubborness, Violence, Werewolf Jesse McCree
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-26
Updated: 2018-11-25
Packaged: 2019-07-02 18:33:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 25,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15802233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ruetknight/pseuds/Ruetknight
Summary: Jesse McCree prides himself on being a lone wolf, submitting to no man and no Were. He needs only his gun and his wits to survive and find whatever it is his instincts are driving him to. As the world changes surviving becomes more and more lonely, even if Jesse would never admit it. When Winston initializes the Recall Jesse realizes that maybe this was what he was searching for and returns 'home'. Finding that a dragon has made the watchpoint at Gibraltar his home too might just change the lone wolf forever.





	1. You can never go Home

“Nothing changes,” Jesse tells himself, hoping that it’s true. He puffs a cloud of smoke into the air before plucking the cigar from his mouth and stomping it into the sand. He stands for a moment, letting his senses come back to him, smells creep back into his nose.

The watchpoint at Gibraltar appears the same as it was back then, the smells of salt and machine oil hanging in the air. He can smell the human inhabitants too, even though no one’s around to greet him. Pulling the rim of his hat low over his eyes, he enters the base, scenting out his path.

Winston had been the one to call him back and the gorilla was normally easy to find, being one of the few non-humans around.

The cowboy’s nose leads him towards the control center, but before he reaches it, something much more interesting draws his attention, a smell drifting on the air that has him stop dead in his tracks and chase the scent with his nose for a minute.

“It can’t be”, he mutters as he turns off course and mounts a set of stairs to one of his favorite spots, overlooking the ocean.  His first thought had been Genji, but the ninja was more machine than the scent he was picking up now. Indeed, instead of finding the cyborg he finds someone else entirely. An Asian man, older than Genji, sits in meditation. This close there is no mistaking the scent, Dragon.

Jesse fights the instinct to whine in submission and retreat with his currently preverbal tail between his legs. Dragons. There is something about them that inspires fear in Jesse at the best of times, something about the raw power and strength that simply roll off of them. The first time he had met Genji, he had whined like a pup and Reyes had teased him relentlessly. This dragon is far more powerful than the cyborg.

Ignoring his instinct, Jesse digs in his heels. He will not show weakness to anyone and, what’s more, he’s curious. How had a dragon joined Overwatch?

“Howdy,” he says boldly, his voice reaching through the man’s meditative state and snapping his eyes open.

Blue flashes in the man’s eyes as he assesses the threat, his lip curling down in a snarl, showing teeth. Jesse has his hands up and head tilted back to expose his neck, taking a step back.

_Not a threat._

“Hey there, name’s McCree. Haven’t met another Were in a coon’s age, just wanted to say hi,” he says, forcing a smile.

“I am not a _Were,_ ” the man spits, rising to his feet, his chin lifting so he can glare down his nose at Jesse even though the cowboy is a good head taller than him.

 _Great, fucken dragons,_ Jesse thinks. Still, he tries to be friendly to the newcomer. This is home. He needs to be welcoming.

“All the same, only met one of your kind before. We were teammates for a while. Since you’re here do you happen to know him? Genji?”

“He is my brother,” the man says in the same distasteful way he has spoken every other word to Jesse. Still, it is not the way he says it, but the words themselves that have Jesse seeing red.

Before he can stop himself, he is mid-form and bearing down on the man. Even as his muscles grow, and his teeth sharpen in his mouth he reaches his hands towards the man, his prosthetic whirring to change conformation for his larger size.

To his credit, the man is fast, diving away from the mid-change werewolf baring down on him. Magic ripples down his arm, lighting up the tattoo there before he grabs hold of Jesse’s chest. He lifts them both into the air, a powerful jump or perhaps dragon flight, before pushing down on the cowboy’s chest and slamming Jesse into the ground hard.

 

Whining, the cowboy kicks at the dragon with his hind legs, dislodging him before rolling and launching himself at the man’s chest, pinning him to the side of a storage container. The metal moans at the force of the blow but the dragon only growls at him.

 

“You’re the asshole who maimed Genji!” Jesse snarls. Words are hard in this form, and impossible when fully turned, but he forces them out for his friend.

The words stab into the dragon like daggers and he suddenly deflates, the light fading from his eyes and the magic dimming away as well.

“I am,” he says softly. Whatever fight he had at him suddenly evaporates. Jesse, still full of anger, glares at him, this man will not deny him his fury. He shakes the dragon by the shoulders, his claws digging red streaks into the inked flesh.

“You nearly killed him!”

“And I have mourned him for 10 years,” the man answers, tilting his head back exposing his throat to the werewolf. “He has forgiven me for the unforgiveable but if you want to exact vengeance on his behalf, go ahead.”

Disgusted at the man’s words, Jesse pushes him away, shaking the wetness of the man’s blood from his claws before turning from him and forcing calm back into himself as he shifts back. The last to go is his tail, which he swishes in distaste as he takes the handful of steps back towards the stairs.

“If, and that is a big if, Genji t has decided that your punishment should be to live with what you have done to him, to see your handy work, the scars on his body every day of your miserable existence, then I am not going to be the one to end his vengeance and your suffering. Live with your guilt.”

“I do, every moment of every day,” the man answers but Jesse is already descending the stairs. He is not here to carry out suicides for those too weak to do it themselves. He ignores the quick footsteps behind him, only quickening his own pace. The dragon falls back, but there is no mistaking that he is being followed.

_Let him come._

 

Jesse forces a smile onto his face as he enters the control center where he greets Winston, Tracer and the cyborg he had just had a scuffle over. His smile fools the gorilla and the pilot, who enthusiastically welcome him home, but Genji scowls.

“You smell like you have met my brother,” the ninja says carefully.

“We had a discussion,” the dragon answers from behind Jesse. The cowboy turns and glares at the man who had followed him from under the shadows of his hat. The grooves Jesse had dug in his arms are already healed, probably a dragon trick.

“Remember to keep your _discussions_ to sparring sessions, brother,” Genji says softly, walking past Jesse and placing a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Has my brother introduced himself, Jesse? He tends to lack in the social department.”

Jesse grins, enjoying the look of discomfort on the dragon’s face. Genji’s scolding at his brother’s disrespectful manner tickles the cowboy’s funny bone. The dragon looks uncomfortable as he composes himself to attempt being civil.

_Go ahead, choke on some of that snooty pride. Now introduce yourself like a good boy._

“I am Shimada Hanzo,” he finally says with a small bow.

“Was that so hard, darlin’?” Jesse grins self satisfied. Hanzo snorts at him in disgust. The pride Genji had damped flares again, stronger than ever and for a moment Jesse is sure Hanzo is going to attack, but instead of using his fists it is his sharp tongue that lashes out.

“You will never again get the offer I gave to you, mutt. When we meet in training, you will see the true power of the scion of the Shimada line,” Hanzo sneers before turning from them all and storming off.

“Charming fellow, real people person,” Jesse whistles, adjusting his hat.

“My brother is a work in progress,” Genji answers shaking his head, “That he is here and trying is a step in the right direction for him.” Jesse cannot help but notice the look passing between Tracer and Winston. Apparently, he is not the only one who has a low opinion of Genji’s brother.

“Anyway, it is great to have you back. We’ve missed you, love,” Lena says, punching Jesse in the shoulder which, admittedly, she has to leap in the air to do.

“Let’s get you settled in.” Winston says with a large grin.

 

 

Jesse tosses his bag into a corner and sits down on the bed, his bed. Everything is just as he left it, only cleaned and freshened up for his arrival. A poster of John Wayne is yellowing above his old desk that still has a stack of paperwork on it he never intended to touch before he left.  The bed is the same too and squeaks familiarly as he lays down, placing his hat on the bedside table.

“Hanzo Shimada,” he says out loud, looking up at the old water stain on the ceiling. That is different, but then he is different. He touches the metal of his left arm, cold and unyielding. Change was nothing new to a werewolf, but he knows change isn’t always a good thing, doubly so when he cannot control it.

Jesse closes his eyes yawning a wide-open mouthed wolf yawn. He is exhausted, both from traveling from the States and his change, but he is expected for dinner.

With great reluctance, he sits up, his back creaking as much as the bed. Pulling off his armor, he is angry at himself when he notices the split seam of his shirt. He knows better than to shift with his breastplate on and now he will have to sew. Large werewolf hands are not meant for delicate things like needle work.

Sighing he sets the shirt on his desk, knowing he will get to it in the morning, before pulling on a pair of Overwatch sweatpants and matching t-shirt.

 _Jesse McCree is home, h_ e tells himself as he makes his way to the mess hall, _this is home._ He is almost convinced as he enters the dining room, scenting the occupants. Dragon is the first to assaults his nose, then metal dragon – Genji, Winston, Lena who smells distorted even though she is human, werewolf… for a moment he cannot help himself, his heart screamed Reyes, but he knows the scent belongs to Reinhardt. He knows and yet… _this isn’t home, not the one I left._

Still, he smiles and laughs as he greets the big German and joins his friends for dinner, doing his best to ignore the elder Shimada brother who sits beside Genji quietly eating and not saying a word.

Hanzo scowls into his rice bowls while the others at the table around him joyfully reminisce.  Even with the pissed off look that is apparently his default face, the sculpted form of the scion’s dragon-touched features draw Jesse’s eyes like a moth to a flame. It’s no wonder the man is such an arrogant asshole.

“It’s great to be back,” Jesse says instead of looking at the dragon, and everyone around him, with the exclusion of Hanzo, agrees.

 

With dinner done, Jesse makes his way to his favorite spot to enjoy a cigar before bed. It has been a long night and he is not used to being around so many people; he needs to dull his senses before settling for the night. His corner is dark and reeks of dragon, but all that fades as he lights up.

“That thing stinks,” Hanzo says from out of the dark.

_Great._

“Not as bad as your attitude.”

“I will remind you, you attacked me, mutt.”

Jesse sighs, there it is, the slur. The asshole probably doesn’t even realize the deeper implication. That doesn’t make it hurt any less. Jesse could not help his origins anymore than anyone else could.

“What is your problem? Are you trying to rouse me into killing you? Not gonna happen, pal.”

“Hmph, like you could actually kill me. I was judging your character and you are clearly lacking.”

“That’s a lie and you know it.”

“Like the lies you have been telling? Hardly.”

“What lies?” Jesse asks, taken aback. He’s never been called out on being a liar before by anyone but Reyes.

“’It’s great to see you.’ ‘It’s so good to be back’. I know what kind of man you are, Jesse McCree, and you don’t want to be here anymore than I do. You are lying to everyone,” Hanzo says quietly, his eyes flashing in the dark.

“You take that back,” Jesse says angrily. Just because the dragon was right didn’t mean he got to say it out loud.

“Make me,” Hanzo invites, “if you can.”

“Fine, if you have a death wish, tomorrow during sparring we settle this.”

“Good, I look forward to it,” Hanzo says before breezing past the cowboy. It is too dark for Jesse to tell for sure but, just for a second, he can swear the dragon is smiling.

Grumbling curses, Jesse smokes another cigar after his first before returning to bed. He had had high hopes about coming back, that this would be home, that this was where he should be and that, perhaps, he could find whatever his inner wolf was looking for. Instead, he found an arrogant dragon who was out to fight him. Well, that is just great, he needed something to rip to shreds, it might as well be Hanzo’s pretty face.


	2. Running Wild

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for beta reading and editing Lizar

Jesse wakes with a start, sitting upright in the darkness of his old room. As he fights to get his breathing under control he wipes sweat from his face with his flesh hand before reaching over and attaching his metal one with a loud pop and a sucked in breath of pain.

 

As a rule, werewolves rarely dreamt, but when they did the wolf took over. Jesse has heard that pack wolves had rather pleasant and mundane dreams, dreams of running with their pack under the moonlight. He had never really fit into a pack dynamic, even when he was a pup and desperate for the stability and sanity the pack brought, his kin had rejected him. Deadlock had been a pack only in volume, but the violence and infighting had left him with untold scars. Blackwatch… well two wolves don’t make a pack, no matter how much Reyes meant to him.

 

Without a pack his dreams are just a blur of images, themed by the emotional instability of his wolfish side. He had been fighting Hanzo in his dream, wanting… something. There had been blood and snarls and claws ripping flesh before giving into submission, his legs splayed, exposing his most tender parts for the dragon…

 

Jesse shakes his head to clear it. He would not be submitting to that asshole. He submits to no man.

 

Knowing sleep is beyond his reach after the violent dream he reluctantly climbs onto his feet. He stretches out the tension in his shoulders, shifting just enough to elongate the muscles in his back, really enjoying the release of tension. He feels big and lumbering in the small room, wanting out, wanting to run. Glancing at the clock set in his desk Jesse groans. 5am. Too early for the base to provide any decent company. Maybe he should go for that run, get familiar with the lay of the land again.

 

Decided, he pulls his serape around his shoulders, securing it so as not to lose it in his change and then forces the wolf from within. Jesse always found the change just for the sake of it difficult. An emotion filled transformation was easier, being the first type of change barring the moon most Weres had. Doing it on purpose took practice and those who shy away from their nature never really master it. There is nothing shy about Jesse McCree.

 

The transformation starts with a tingle as his hair thickens. The stretch of his muscles stops just before it becomes truly painful, his teeth scraping along his tongue as face becomes muzzle. He opens his mouth, having learned from experience his own teeth were sharp and his tongue tender. He howls despite himself, glad for the soundproof nature of his room. The twisting of his bones aches more as he has aged, the popping unpleasant, but not enough to shy away from.

 

He lands on his front legs, his back ones no longer able to carry his weight by themselves. Jesse McCree is a big man and an even bigger wolf. He rolls his shoulders to get his serape in a comfortable position and to adjust his prosthetic, which has changed with him. He misses the limb, but the metal one tries its best and he appreciates the engineering behind it, even though the Ikea dwarf was a hassle.

 

Pawing open the door, he slips through the corridor and out into the cool morning air. His wolf senses are on fire, free from their human constraints. He stretches his legs, running along the edges of the base before heading away and into the natural surroundings. He scares a rabbit, which he chases for the sake of it before dragging his wolf mind away from the pursuit before he ends up killing the poor thing. He can do without coughing up fluff for the rest of the day.

 

He runs further, smelling no one of interest he relaxes his vigilance and presses on harder until his muscles scream out for oxygen. At last, he turns back to the base as the sun grows hot. He is panting from the exertion, but he glad to be out and free.

 

He enters the base, his feet feeling odd on the concrete after the grass and sand. The place smells wrong, like all human made places do when he is in his wolf form. Carefully, he slinks in the shadows away from the people moving through the base, he doesn’t need to scare the recruits and he knows his large shaggy brown form will spook them, it always does.

 

As he navigates behind a collection of newly arrived supply crates, an arrow lodges itself in front of his feet with a sharp wiz. He jumps back, snarling and looking about.

 

 _Dragon_ , his nose tells him, and he looks up. Hanzo is standing on the roof opposite him, another arrow loose in his fingers, but resting in the bow, ready to be fired at a moment’s notice.

 

Snarling, Jesse changes, standing before the dragon naked but for the serape on his shoulders. He would normally have wrapped himself in the material, but his anger about getting shot at overrides his sense of decency and the fear of exposing the scar.

 

Hanzo blushes and averts his gaze from Jesse.

 

“Cover up,” he instructs, but Jesse is in no mood to take orders.

 

“Why are you shooting if you know it’s me?” the cowboy yells back angrily.

 

“To get your attention. If I didn’t know it was you do you think I would have missed?” Hanzo says calmly, glancing back before turning his head again, “Please.”

 

The word is soft, as close to a plea as Jesse supposes he could expect. Relenting, he swings his serape around his waist.

 

“If you don’t want werewolves exposing themselves to you, you shouldn’t fire arrows at them,” Jesse grumbles.

 

“If you carried your communicator I wouldn’t have to,” Hanzo answers back sourly.

 

“Yeah, you looking for me? Want to apologize for being a jackass?”

 

“You attacked me,” Hanzo snarls, looking like he is going to let his anger get the better of him, but then he takes a deep breath and sighs, placing the arrow back into his quiver and swinging the bow over his shoulder, “Forget it.”

 

“Didn’t think you were the apologetic kind,” Jesse pushes. He is naked, grumpy and wants a shower and Hanzo is wasting his time.

 

“I don’t want anything from you, mutt. There is a mission. I thought I would be decent and let you know, but clearly my assistance is unwanted.” With those words Hanzo turns and disappears over the roof.

 

 

Swearing, Jesse enters the sleeping quarters and heads for his room. True enough, he had 4 messages about a mission. Cursing again, he pulls on yesterday’s clothes from the floor, jams his hat onto his head and hurries to the debriefing room.

 

Hanzo had waited to let him know. Jesse can feel his cheeks glowing with embarrassment. There was a good chance the dragon had been on the roof specifically to see if he could spot the werewolf. His method and manners rub Jesse the wrong way, but then he has not been friendly either.

 

The dragon has settled himself by the time Jesse enters the debriefing room. The only seat left is next to Hanzo and he sinks into it, trying not to look at the dragon.

 

“Sorry, I was harsh earlier. Thank you for letting me know.”

 

Hanzo nods, before wrinkling his nose.

 

“You smell,” he says quietly.

 

“Not like I had time for a shower.”

 

“You better make time if we are on the mission together, it’s distracting.”

 

Jesse narrows his eyes, ready to retort but Winston draws everyone’s attention by clearing his throat.

 

“Thank you for gathering so quickly. We have a standard search and rescue on our hands. The terrain is difficult, and the climate isn’t ideal.”

 

“That means I’m going,” Jesse murmurs under his breath, “tracking.” He leans in and taps his nose before realizing he is seated next to Hanzo and straightening again in his chair. The dragon casts him the same down-the-nose look as before but says nothing.

 

“We might need some aerial assistance,” Winston continued.

 

 _Genji can’t transform, I wonder if Hanzo can fly?_ Jesse glances at the dragon who is focused on the mission map Winston is presenting _So intense_. Jesse’s eyes search the curious creature beside him, searching for hints to the dragon that lays within.

 

Sharp facial features, broad musculature, glossy black hair, long but for the undercut which holds patches of grey. Jesse touches his own hair, shaggy and wild under his hat. One advantage of being a Were is the slowed aging. If the dragon is graying is he much older than he looks?

 

The dragon turns his head to look right at Jesse. He had been caught staring.

 

“What?”

 

“How old are you?”

 

“What does it matter?” Hanzo snaps, looking away before muttering “38.”

 

_Only a year difference._

“You’re going gray,” Jesse mutters before he can stop himself. He is surprised when Hanzo smiles as if he has just been complimented and cannot stop the action.

 

“Yes,” the dragon purrs.

 

Jesse blinks, _Dragons are weird._ He’ll have to ask Genji about it later.

 

“Are you done staring at me? We are leaving,” Hanzo says a short while later. Jesse had been studying the silver piercing in the bridge of the dragon’s nose, wondering how it worked with transformations. Flushing, he rises and looks away.

 

“Sorry, buddy, mind’s a million miles away and you just happened to be in the way,” Jesse lies as smoothly as he can.

 

“Don’t lie,” Hanzo says, an arrogant smirk on his face, “I know my own worth and allure, a mutt like yourself would be unable to deny my appeal.”

 

Jesse snarls angrily. Nothing can make a beautiful person turn ugly faster than gloating arrogance. It would take a whole lot more than a pretty face to dominate Jesse McCree. He bows to no one, man or dragon, and will never submit to this arrogant ass the image in his dream of himself in wolf form on his back, his legs wide in submission flashes through his thoughts.

 

“Not happening,” McCree says more to himself than to the dragon as he turns on his heals to get ready for the mission.

 

Back in his room, he strips off the sweats and t-shirt looking longingly at the bathroom. He wants a shower, but he wants to spite Hanzo too. Looking at his comms for their departure time he realizes he has no choice either way.

 

Jesse pulls on his jeans, the ones he had been wearing for days as he traveled to the watchpoint. Next, he dons his equally filthy chaps and boots. He does dig out a fresh shirt before strapping on his breastplate. Lastly, he pulls on his serape, grabbing his gun belt and strapping it around his waist as he follows the path from the sleeping quarters to the shuttle launch site.

 

It isn’t hard to ignore the dragon. Jesse simply marches past him after tipping his hat to Genji, settles himself in the Orca and pulls his hat low over his eyes.

 

“McCree is not like us,” he hears Genji saying, probably in a tone his friend thinks are low enough for the werewolf not to hear, “don’t antagonize him, brother, he is my friend.”

 

“He is the one staring and complimenting me one moment and growling the next,” Hanzo answers back just as softly. Jesse tilts his head slightly, so he can see the brothers. Hanzo is rubbing the bridge of his nose. “He hasn’t showered,” the elder dragon complains.

 

“Just control yourself,” Genji insists.

 

“You don’t know how good he smells. Wild, tempting.” Jesse flushes, dropping his head. Has he misread everything? Is Hanzo… attracted to him?

 

_Shit._

 

Now he really needs to talk to Genji, but the mission is not the place and the brothers have just entered the Orca, meaning he is out of time.

 

As his stomach drops out from under him with the Orca’s take off, Jesse can not help but wonder just what he has gotten himself into. In the back of his mind the wolf is restless, wanting but not knowing what the want is for. He refuses to believe that the dragon is what the wolf wants. He will never allow himself to even entertain the idea of being that arrogant asshole’s conquest.

 


	3. Tooth and Nail

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Lizar as always for editing this

Jesse sinks down into one of the seats of the Orca which gives him the most leg room. He is clad only in his dirt stained pair of jeans, which are stretched and riding very low, his hip bones jotting out above the waistband. He is tired, dirty and desperate for a shower. The mission had been difficult, lasting more days than his body wanted to continue, but it is finally over.

His nose alerts him to the dragon’s presence and he peels open a blurry eye. They have not interacted much, Jesse crawling through debris and pulling survivors from the collapsed buildings while the dragon did… Jesse isn’t sure what. He has been preoccupied, but he is sure Hanzo has been pulling his weight along with the rest of the team. He smells sweaty and dirty just like the rest of them.

Hanzo’s eyes are following Jesse’s treasure trail down to where it disappears under the jeans, his tongue darting out to wet his lips before he realizes Jesse is looking at him.

“You are awfully blatant for someone who finds a naked werewolf scandalous,” Jesse huffs as he sits up, pulling his jeans up one handedly while wrapping his serape around himself. Hanzo has the decency to blush and avert his gaze.

“I apologize, it’s… been a long time,” he says distractedly, as if he could still see Jesse’s naked form.

“Yeah well, it’s gonna be a longer time still, pal,” Jesse answers back. He doesn’t want to have this conversation but maybe it is needed.

“I…,” Hanzo looks taken aback, embarrassed and dejected all at the same time.

“Did you think I was just gonna roll over and let you claim dominance over me? The man who hurt my friend, his brother, the way you did. Damn, Shimada, I have met people full of themselves, but you are something else entirely.”

“I didn’t think that. I am not that man anymore… I am trying…” Jesse can see everything drain out of Hanzo, like it had on their first meeting. Jesse feels his guts twist in shame. Maybe bringing up what he had done to Genji again was a low blow. Or maybe he deserves it, it is difficult for Jesse to decide right now. They are all worn out and emotions tend to run on autopilot for Weres after a while.

“Ah dang it, look just forget it.”

“No,” Hanzo says severely. He has recovered rather quickly from whatever was brooding behind his dark eyes.

“No?” Jesse asks uncertainly.

“You are hot and cold, Jesse McCree. I want to know where we stand. What I did to Genji has nothing to do with you, stop hiding behind it.”

Jesse can feel his heckles rising. Just who does this asshole think he is?

“Do you want to know if we fight or we fuck? Is that what you are after?” he snarls at the dragon.

“If you want to put it that crudely. I was going to ask if we should be civil or avoid one another, but if those are the only options in that mutt head of yours then fine, pick one,” Hanzo answers back calmly, his eyes holding the superiority born from his arrogance.

_Wait? Does he think there is really a choice here?_

“Hanzo!” Genji snaps from behind his brother, just coming into the Orca so they could depart.

“I want an answer,” the dragon says quietly, his dark eyes never leaving Jesse’s.

“I will rip that pretty face of yours off,” Jesse snarls as he rises up and looms over Hanzo, changing just enough to make himself even bigger and more intimidating.

“Fight or…” Hanzo says still calmly as he brakes off to glance at his brother.

“Fight. Right after we get back, so you can’t run away,” Jesse answers, deflating as he turns and drops back into his chair, “and stop eyeballing me ‘til then or I will scratch them out.”

Hanzo nods curtly, his face a mask of fury as he turns and heads to the cockpit, choosing to sit with Tracer instead.

“Jesse,” Genji whines, shaking his mask free.

“Don’t Jesse me, your brother is a bonafide ass.”

“He’s getting mixed signals from you. Dragons are different from Weres and Hanzo is very traditional. He had to be.”

“I want to rip his throat out, how is that a mixed signal?” Jesse huffs.

“You stare at him, you complimented him, you exposed yourself to him.”

Jesse holds up his hands.

“Now hold up, I changed because he shot at me. I can’t help I was naked.”

“I am aware, in context it’s not on purpose, but to dragons… it could be seen as an… offer.” Genji turns his head, his face going red, as Jesse sighs in exasperation.

“Fucking old-fashioned traditionalists… Fine, and maybe I was staring, but that was just curiosity and I sure as hell I never complimented him. He does enough of that on his own.”

“You said his hair was going grey.”

“How the hell is that a compliment? And what’s up with that anyway? Why isn’t he aging like a Were?”

“Dragons are different. Grey hair shows a change in us, a maturity. Hanzo going grey shows that he has accepted responsibility for what he has done to me and has changed as a person for the better.”

 _He has accepted his faults…_ Jesse wonders, his guilt building.

“Then why aren’t you grey? You’ve grown and shit. You’re not as angry and hurt as when we first met.” Jesse grins at the memory of the angry streak of fury and death Genji use to be on missions. It’s strange that this is a happy memory.

“It is a different growth; besides I am only half dragon, Hanzo and I have different mothers. Things that apply to Hanzo don’t necessarily apply to me.”

“Like you can’t transform?”

Genji chuckled.

“Transformation isn’t really a dragon thing. Hanzo can, but it might surprise you if he ever lets you see it. No, it’s more about astral projection and using magic, like my dragon forming during my dragon blade attack. In that regard Hanzo is very powerful, but that power has a cost.”

Jesse chews on this information for a moment. Hanzo is powerful in a different way, not relying on transformation. It makes sense that Hanzo doesn’t see himself as a Were then, he isn’t, not really. Still…

“He keeps calling me a mutt.”

“You are a mutt, McCree. Hanzo is literal and he doesn’t lie as such, well he tries not to. He can tell you are of… mixed human decent and he is going off of that.”

“That just makes him more of a cunt.” Genji flinches at the word, but Jesse is unapologetic. If the word fits he will use it.

“Oh yes, but that’s Hanzo for you. He has always been… hard to deal with.”

“Well he might be a little bit less ‘hard to deal with’, if he realizes his words have consequences. Maybe knocking loose a few teeth will teach him,” Jesse grumbles. Hanzo was bringing out the worse in him, pure dark emotions he has not felt since his days with Deadlock.

Genji says nothing for a long moment, sliding into the seat beside his friend before trying to place a hand on Jesse’s arm but the cowboy pulls away from the touch and the cyborg does not try again.

“I know you, so I will not try to talk you out of fighting, hell it might even help the situation if you both get it out of your systems. Just remember you both are running on empty right now. This fight will prove very little.”

“It doesn’t need to prove anything, just that I will not bend to his will.”

The pair falls into an awkward silence after that. Jesse’s head continues to run, replaying Hanzo’s actions over and over. He needs this settled, needs the dragon to learn he submits to no one. He was trying to find his place, a home and Hanzo has been making his skin itch. The sooner he has the dragon off his back the sooner he might settle as well.

Finally, tired beyond his anger Jesse slips into an uneasy sleep. He doesn’t dream, hardly sleeping deep enough, but even in this state his mind is on Hanzo.

_I shouldn’t be fighting him, hell if it wasn’t for Genji I wouldn’t even be speaking to him. After this all I’ll do just that, keep a civil tongue in my head and just give him a wide berth…_

_It was nice of him to have made sure I knew about the meeting, but that doesn’t make up for the rest. Sure, he had a right to be aggravated, I did sneak up on him and attacked him, that’s on me._

_Ugh, I have been giving him mixed signals. Damn it. Well, I wasn’t tryin’ to and I’ll make thing crystal clear now. Just this fight and then we part ways. If it becomes too hard to bear, then I really don’t belong in Overwatch._

On and on his mind goes until the Orca lands with a tailbone shattering thump. Jesse groans at the impact, getting up on stiff legs. He gathers his things, turning to the door to find Hanzo waiting for him.

“Ready mu… McCree?” The change in words is not lost on Jesse. Obviously, the dragon had been listening while he and Genji were talking. Jesse can’t even be mad, he had done the same.

“Ready,” he nods as he pads barefoot after the elder Shimada brother, Genji trailing behind them both.

 

The training yard is cool, long shadows hanging low over the courtyard. Recruits stop to rubberneck at the gathering group and Reinhardt steps towards them.

“Greetings, my friends,” the large werewolf hails. Everyone who is not actively fighting against him is his friend, that is just the type of person Reinhardt is. Jesse envies him. If only his world could be as black and white, too.

“Sir Wilhelm,” Hanzo greets with a deep bow.

“Please, I have told you, just Reinhardt is fine,” the large man says, modestly waving off the action.

“We wish to use your fighting ring to settle a… misunderstanding between myself and Mister McCree,” Hanzo continues.

Jesse snorts.

“Ain’t no misunderstanding and I ain’t your mister,” Jesse says hotly. Reinhardt eyes the two carefully sizing them up.

“Go grab a shower, a hot meal and a nap. Whatever has you hot and bothered will resolve itself by morning.”

“It gets settled now,” Jesse insists stepping forward, “or so help me I’ll fight you too.”

To Jesse’s surprise Reinhardt laughs, a deep booming laugh that shakes through the cowboy’s skull.

“Jesse McCree, you never could help yourself, could you? I might be getting soft and round in my old age, but you are by no means too old to get pulled over my knee for a spanking.”

Jesse blushes as he looks away from the older man, backing off. He was being disrespectful. He was being the same person he had been back in Deadlock. This problem with Hanzo is doing his head in.

“Sorry Rein, I’m not myself.”

The large man looks him over carefully, sniffing the air.

“No, I don’t suppose you are,” Reinhardt scowls at him, “When was…,” but he trails off. “You set on fighting?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Alright,” the large man says severely, nodding his agreement.

Jesse stretches his muscles as he pulls his serape from his shoulders. He’d be damned if he’d fight with a disadvantage for modesty’s sake. Hanzo slips an arm from one of his sleeves, the tattoo on his arm standing out boldly against his flesh. The dragon’s body is all bulging muscles. Jesse fights back the desire to run his eyes over those muscles after the berating he’d given Hanzo for leering at him on the Orca.   

_No submission. To anyone._

 “Having second thoughts?” Hanzo asks, sensing the lapse in the Were’s resolve. The belittling question cements Jesse’s intent.

“I wonder if you’ll still be so cocky after I shred that pretty face,” he growls.

“You keep admitting you find me attractive, yet you still insist on fighting. You did give yourself another option.” Growling angrily the werewolf leaps forward, his fingers changing to claws as he aims for the dragon. To his surprise, Hanzo lets him draw blood as he tears at his arm. Grunting, the dragon pushes, magic thrusting Jesse from his feet.

The cowboy rolls, snarling and attacks again. He doesn’t land a second blow. Whenever he gets close in his mostly human form Hanzo simply pushes him away with magic.

Growling in frustration, he changes fully, fur rippling down his spine. Being in jeans hurts, crushing his manhood against the unforgiving fabric. He kicks his legs, achieving nothing to relief the pain.

“Don’t change with pants on,” Reinhardt calls but Jesse ignores him.

Instead he leaps forward. The effects of the dragon magic fail to affect him in this form and he pushes Hanzo down. The archer seems untroubled as he lifts a foot and rolls with the blow, throwing Jesse away from him using his own momentum against the cowboy.

Jesse lands sharply on his side, rolling with a whine. He manages to kick the jeans off and pants in relief as he circles Hanzo.

The dragon pulls his shirt off completely and Jesse whines again. The man’s chest is a sculptor’s masterpiece. Muscles ripples under the tantalizing flesh. Hanzo’s hard nipples make Jesse’s tail wag with nervous excitement.

“We can stop this farce if you wish,” Hanzo calls to Jesse, a dark look in his eyes, “I would rather not fight you.” There is something in those words, a submission.

Frustration crawls through Jesse as his tail stills. This isn’t over yet; the hierarchy is still unclear. He throws himself at Hanzo with more force. Where it seemed easy for the dragon before, Jesse seems to gain the upper hand again. Soon Hanzo is bleeding from nips and clawings Jesse lands until finally Jesse is leaping forward, his mouth poised to close around the dragon’s throat.

“No!” Hanzo yells, a large blast of energy leaving him as two dragons twist their way towards McCree. In the same instance he pushes the werewolf to the ground.

“Don’t let them touch you, that was a killing blow,” Hanzo warns as he holds Jesse’s head down. The werewolf can feel the dark energy passing over him. “I didn’t mean to release them.”

Turning back to human form Jesse rolls away from Hanzo as soon as the danger passes. The dragon stumbles to his knees as Jesse stands and yanks his jeans on.

Looking back, he can see the dragon still sitting in the dirt panting.

“You win, Jesse,” Hanzo wheezes. “Kill me if you wish.”

“Won? You could have let that kill me.”

“I would never kill you, I lost control,” the dragon says softly. He leans forward on his hands, his arms shaking. “My energy is gone, and you are standing. Do what you must.”

Jesse looks down at Hanzo. There is a brokenness to the man, hidden by his arrogance.

“Ah, damn it all,” Jesse mutters. He holds out a hand which Hanzo takes in a weak grip. The werewolf pulls him up. For a moment Hanzo leans against him, warm and weak, and something in Jesse melts into the feel of the body pressed against him. Even after the battle there is no dominance or submission, only comfort. It has been so long since… Then Hanzo rights himself and a longing set into the werewolf’s stomach.

Without a word, he turns from Hanzo, gathers his things and makes for nowhere in particular. He just needs to get away.

After a few false turns he ends up in the shower room. He is too tall for the one in his own bathroom and after everything he just wants to be warm and clean. Mostly everyone is done for the day meaning he will get to enjoy a long slow shower to think on all of his sins and wash the press of Hanzo that still lingers from his skin.

He is just about to strip off his disgusting jeans and step under the water when Hanzo rushes into the room, slamming the door behind him. Jesse stands looking at the dragon dumbly, he is in clear distress. For a moment Hanzo looks around without seeing the Were right in front of him but then their eyes meet and the dragon’s distress cuts through Jesse in raw panic.

“McCree, no,” he groans looking around again, as if looking for an escape, before doubling over, “there is no getting around it. Don’t let anyone see me,” he moans.

“Are you alright?” Jesse asks, and he moves to help.

“I am changing. Please, no one can see me, not even Genji.”

A moment later there is a soft pop and Hanzo is gone, leaving behind a pile of clothes.

 Knowing better, Jesse kneels down and lifts Hanzo’s shirt. A small blue head pokes up to look at him, pink tongue darting out to taste the air.

“Now there is something you don’t see everyday,” Jesse mumbles.


	4. Like water off a dragon's back

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for editing Lizar, I am grateful for all your help.

“That is unexpected,” Jesse murmurs, lifting the shirt higher so he can see more of Hanzo’s new form. He isn’t exactly tiny, but the change is substantial. Where the archer was muscled the dragon seems more sleek and thin with a long tail, body with a rounder stomach and head with ridges under the ears. Hanzo is light blue with a darker blue marking on his belly. Two yellow horns stand out straight behind his ears which are currently flattened against his skull, the yellow tuft at the end of his tail swishing in agitation.

“Aw shucks, don’t be scared, can’t hurt a tiny little thing like you,” Jesse coos. Hanzo snaps at his fingers at the insult but his ears do perk up and he climbs out of the bundle of his discarded clothes.

Slowly he rises in the air, twisting in agitation as he looks about.

“Why’d you change? The cute factor will only endear you to me up to a certain point,” Jesse says carefully eyeing the nervous dragon. Hanzo drifts over to the long line of basins and it really does look like he is swimming through the air, more graceful in this form than Jesse felt in any of his.

The little dragon presses a clawed hand to the fogged up mirror and scrawls out a few words.

 _Not by choice. Too tired._ Hanzo looks back at Jesse expectantly. He dips as he floats, having to will himself back up into the air.

“You drained all your energy fighting me and this is what happens?” Jesse asks and Hanzo nods before writing again.

_Please hide me. Please don’t hurt. Don’t show Genji. Know not friends but please._

There is a desperation in Hanzo’s eyes as he turns back to Jesse. He taps one of the _please’s_ with the tip of his tail, smudging the word.

“Why can’t I show you to Genji? He knows you look like this.”

As answer Hanzo taps the word _hurt._

 _“_ Genji won’t hurt you,” Jesse answers back. Again Hanzo taps the _please_ before floating over to Jesse, pawing at his shoulder. The dragon’s claws prickle at his skin.

“I…” Jesse starts at a completely loss. They had just been fighting. Hanzo should not be asking him, but he is. The cowboy scratches at his hair. He needs to think. He gathers Hanzo’s clothes and boots, stuffing them into a locker before turning back to his shower.

A soft mewling noise from Hanzo draws his attention back.

“I’m not saying anything about helping you ‘til I am clean,” he informs the little dragon before unbuttoning his jeans.

The agitation return to the tip of Hanzo’s tail and he twists himself in the air to look away.

“You’ve seen it before… just don’t take this as an invitation or anything. I just really need a shower,” Jesse sighs as he strips off his jeans. Hanzo nods, hesitating before following Jesse.

“Hey, where do you think you’re going?” Jesse asks as he glances at Hanzo. The little dragon mimes washing and the cowboy sighs. Is he really up to all this? Protecting somebody was one thing, but caring for him?  He can barely take care of himself at the best of times. Still, he is not dispassionate. Patches of grime left from the mission still smear Hanzo’s now blue skin.

“Okay fine, but you remain eye level.”

Hanzo nods as he slips in front of Jesse wetting himself. He presses on the soap dispenser, angling his small form to catch the soap. He half misses, dumping the majority on the floor, before he starts to twist around to try and lather himself up. With his arms far shorter than what he is use to and his body far longer it does not go well.

The cowboy watches him struggle for a moment, enjoying the warm water on his skin, then pours soap into his own hand and picks Hanzo out of the air. The little dragon twists baring his needle like fangs.

“Just let me help you, it’s pathetic watching you struggle,” Jesse tells him as he soaps up Hanzo’s back and tail. The dragon nips at his fingers once but then allows it, soon arching into the touches like a cat. Even with the soap Jesse marvels at just how smooth Hanzo’s body feels. He had expected scales but Hanzo is soft warm flesh. When he presses too hard the dragon mewls and actually nips a finger.

“Okay I get it, you are delicate,” Jesse murmurs, rubbing at the bite mark.

Hanzo nods his head curtly, then turns on his back to have his stomach washed. The cowboy is a bit taken aback, but he does so quickly, not venturing between the dragon’s lower legs.

Satisfied, Hanzo rises in the air closer to shower head and twists in the spray as he rinses off soap suds from his skin. Glossy with wetness he retreats back out of the shower, giving Jesse some privacy. Jesse gives the dragon only one last glance, seeing him battling with one of the folded towels, before he turns his back to the doorway and cleans himself.

Feeling better than he has in days, Jesse emerges from the shower to find a wet dragon resting on the bench and a toppled tower of towels on the floor.

“Having trouble?” Jesse asks as he picks up the top most towel to dry himself with before folding open one and draping it over Hanzo and rubbing him dry. Jesse then looks around lost.

“Didn’t plan on showering and I don’t want to dress in my dirty jeans now that I am clean,” he mutters more to himself than the dragon, but Hanzo lifts up into the air and floats over to a locker that he taps a combination into. Jesse joins him and pries it open to find a pair of sweats and a T-shirt. The locker smells of Hanzo.

“This yours?” Jesse asks regardless and the dragon nods.

“Much obliged,” Jesse says as he takes the clothes before stuffing Hanzo’s dirty uniform into the locker and closing it again. The pants are too short and Hanzo is larger in the chest than the cowboy but it’s good enough for the walk to his room.

Which brought another question.

“Are you gonna want to stay in my room?”

Hanzo, still perched on the bench, nods. Even in dragon form he looks exhausted.

“How long?”

 The dragon held up four of his claws.

“Four hour?” Jesse asks hopefully. Four hours wouldn’t be that bad. Hanzo shakes his head, pumping the four claws in the air.

“Four days? You want me to hide you for four days? People are gonna know you are missing. I’ll have to tell Winston at least.” The cowboy runs a hand through his damp hair. He’s not sure her can, not that long.

The dragon lifts himself into the air with great effort and floats to the mirror.

_Tell don’t show. Hide please._

“Okay,” Jesse agrees, plucking the tired dragon out of the air. For a moment he doesn’t know what to do but then Hanzo perches himself on the cowboy’s shoulders and wraps his tail around Jesse’s chest for balance.

Jesse throws his serape over his shoulders, covering Hanzo, and can feel the warm body relax. He relaxes too as the weight settles against him. Hanzo is warm and surprisingly soft.

He makes it to his room without any difficulty, sidestepping a few recruits in the hall. As soon as they are inside Hanzo slips from his shoulders and lands on the bed. He looks expectantly at Jesse with his bright little dragon eyes.

 _Great, we’re gonna share,_ Jesse realizes.

He pulls an extra pillow from his cupboard and fluffs it before placing it at the end of the bed. He then pulls off Hanzo’s T-shirt and lays it out like a blanket.

“Your own little bed,” Jesse presents, and the dragon seems pleased as he crawls under the T-shirt and curls up, still looking at Jesse.

“What else do you want? Food?” Jesse asks as his own stomach complains and the dragon nods eagerly. “Okay, well don’t mess with anything, I’ll be back.”

As soon as McCree is out the door Hanzo crawls from under the T-shirts and investigates his new surroundings. He hopes the werewolf is as good and honorable as Genji has told him he is. He has seen little of this himself but he is still alive when it would have been easy to kill him in this form.

The room is almost bare. An old poster, yellow with age and covered in dust clings to a wall. The cowboy’s belongings are still in a backpack Hanzo doesn’t dare to touch. The bathroom holds nothing and the reports on the desk are a decade old at least.

 _He must have left it like this when Overwatch was disbanded,_ Hanzo concludes. He gives the shirt on the desk a sniff, it smells like their first encounter. The seam is  ripped.

He had not meant to antagonize the werewolf back then. He had been surprised and when you are use to being by yourself surprises are dangerous at the best of times.

 _It doesn’t help that I find him pleasing, despite his hatred for me._ Hanzo sighs as he sinks onto his pillow. He cannot deny he had felt a stupid flicker of hope when the cowboy had changed before him and had displayed himself so blatantly or when he had stared at him and remarked on his hair.

Hanzo knows he had been foolish to hope that maybe they could become friends, maybe more in time. It had all been a misunderstanding. He will hide here for the time it takes his energy to return and then he will leave. Leave Overwatch and his brother and the intriguing Jesse McCree, too. This is their home, not his.

Nodding to himself the little dragon drifts off.

 

Jesse makes a beeline for the cyborg as soon as he enters the cafeteria. He is talking with Winston, leaning casually against the table. The gorilla looks troubled.

“Agent McCree, Agent Shimada tells me you and um, the other Agent Shimada had a… disagreement.”

“We had a fight,” Jesse corrects, glaring at Genji, “you tattlin’ on me, partner?”

“Agent Winston wanted to know why two deadly dragons were released on the training grounds. I merely answered the question,” Genji answers smoothly. Sometimes Jesse wonders at the ninja’s sincerity, especially when he is aping Winston’s manner of speaking.

“We can’t be fighting one another, Jesse,” Winston continues.

“Right, got ya, But we have a different problem. A small dragon problem,” for a moment both Genji and Winston look perplexed then the cyborg groans.

“That baka has wasted all his energy, hasn’t he?”

“Yes. Hanzo is currently a tiny little blue dragon who has asked me of all people to hide him, from everyone.”

“Why you?” Winston asks.

“I happened to be taking a shower when he barged into the changing room.” Genji snorts at the irony. “He didn’t have much of a choice.”

“How long will this last?” Winston continues.

“He reckons four days.”

“Having my brother as a pet for four days. There is a worrying thought.”

“Look, can’t you take him? He told me to hide him from you but surely you know more than I do and you won’t hurt him.”

Genji looks uncomfortable before he answers.

“The problem is I might, even if I don’t want to. Dragons try to kill each other. He is weak and fragile in this form, it would be easy to destroy him.”

“But he’s your brother.”

“And he almost killed me before when I threatened the clan. It is who we are.”

Jesse sighs but nods. He will have to look after Hanzo, else he will have his death on his conscious. Resigned to his fate, he loads a plate with food, picking things he hopes the dragon will like before grabbing a bowl of rice as well and heading to his room.

Hanzo’s bright eyes tensely follow the door opening before he is sure Jesse is alone and visibly relaxes.

“I spoke to Winston and Genji. Guess I am stuck with you, can’t rightly have him killing you. Not like this anyway,” he says placing the plate and bowl of rice on the bed.

“I don’t know what you eat besides rice, which I saw you eating the other day, so I just brought what I thought you might like.

It turns out that Hanzo eats everything, or rather everything Jesse brought. He points at what he wants and the cowboy places it into his bowl from which the tiny dragon takes it with his claws and munches on it. Jesse can’t help but smile.

“You are awfully cute, eating like that,” he lets slip and Hanzo glares up at him. “Sorry but it’s hard thinking about you as Hanzo when you are this tiny.”

Hanzo dips his claw in some sauce and writes on the edge of the plate _not tiny_ before flicking his tail at McCree indignantly.

“Well, I am an awfully big werewolf so you’ll have to excuse me for disagreeing,” Jesse chuckles.

 _Perhaps this won’t be that bad,_ Jesse muses as he clears the crockery away. He lies down on the bed and Hanzo settles down next to him.  After a few expectant seconds, the dragon begins head butting him.

“What now?” he asks when the dragon continues. “You want your head scratched? Look there is a line okay? Feeding and washing you is one thing but… fine.” Jesse relents to the dragon’s persistence. He digs his fingers under the ridges and around Hanzo’s horns and is surprised when the dragon melts against him.

“That good?” he asks as Hanzo’s tongue protrudes between his lips and a derpy look crosses his features. “When this is all done I am turning full werewolf and you are brushing me,” Jesse teases. The dragon nods and turns onto his back and exposes his tummy to Jesse.

The werewolf freezes mid scratch as he looks at Hanzo, a very submissive pose, his legs apart. It is too close to the dream Jesse had, even with roles reversed, and the cowboy pulls away. Hanzo looks at Jesse confused, turning back onto his front.

He lifts himself into the air and touches a claw to Jesse’s shoulder.

Before Jesse can even attempt a lie there is a booming knock at the door.

“Under the bed,” he tells Hanzo as he picks up the makeshift bed and throws it under the bed followed closely by a blue streak of dragon.

Hanzo pulls the pillow over himself as McCree opens the door. He relaxes when the scent is Reinhardt’s and not his brother’s.

“Hey, big guy, if this is about the fight, Winston already scolded me,” Jesse says smoothly.

Reinhardt looked around sniffing the air.

“Why does it smell like Hanzo in here? You two make up? Am I interrupting anything?” the large man asks leaning to look into the bathroom.

“No, he was here, asked if we could be friendly to each other, told him I’d think about it,” Jesse answers quickly, keeping himself from looking to Hanzo’s hiding spot, “So, are you here to scold me too?”

“Not quite. When is the last time someone touched you?” Hanzo’s eyes grow large as McCree giggles nervously.

“I am awfully flattered, Reinhardt, but you are not my type.”

“Don’t be absurd, I am not propositioning you for sex. When was the last time someone hugged you? Rubbed your back? Scratched you behind the ears? When is the last time you had any physical contact, boy?”

“I landed a few punches on Hanzo…” Jesse answers confused, “Lena punched me a couple of days ago…”

“A long time I take it.”

“I ain’t exactly the touchy feely type, Rein.”

“That’s why you are so wound up, so aggressive. You need to be touched, didn’t Reyes tell you this? Didn’t your pack?”

“Now you know I didn’t have a pack.”

“Maybe you should find one.”

“You’re the only other werewolf I know besides Reyes and I don’t think he’s in any state to hug it out.”

“Pack isn’t wolves, McCree, it’s home. Torbjörn and his family are my pack, the recruits I train are my pack too. You need to find someone important enough to be your pack and let them in, else you’ll go feral. You are close to it, by the smell of it.”

“I’ve never had anyone, never needed them either. Besides, no one is gonna be up for cuddles with someone like me.”

Hanzo cannot see Jesse from his hideout under the bed, but he can hear the sorrow in his voice. It isn’t quite the same for dragons who mate for life and protect each other fiercely, even if they took humans for secondary mates. Mates make sure to touch and cuddle, often changing and twisting together to show their trust and affection.

Hanzo doesn’t have a mate, but he knows the touch-starved state the cowboy is finding himself in. He has been there. Suddenly the “fight or fuck” mentality made sense, to McCree there isn’t another option.

The two werewolves talk a little longer, Reinhardt insisting on a hug which McCree allows for as long as he can bare it before letting the German out, claiming he is tired.

Hanzo crawls from his hiding place, climbing onto McCree’s shoulders and wrapping his tail around the cowboy’s chest.

“Hey, now don’t you start. I am fine. In four days time you will be human again and what then?” Jesse objects, but Hanzo just wraps himself tighter.

“Silly little dragon,” Jesse murmurs, rubbing Hanzo behind his horns.


	5. Getting Along

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you Lizar, as always, for the edit

Hanzo shivers as he tries to curl more into himself. The base is colder than he had expected when he first arrived and being in his dragon form makes it even worse. As the rain set in over the base the temperature had dropped further and now he is cold and unhappy.

 

The little dragon looks about himself. McCree’s bedding leaves much to be desired. Being a werewolf, the cowboy is naturally warm, so a thin blanket is all he needed. Even if Hanzo crawled under it, it would help about as much as his T-shirt.

 

The shawl McCree wears has been thrown in a bag of washing and tied closed to be dealt with in the morning, so that is no option either; with his tiny claws he would never get the bag open, never mind drag the thing onto the bed.

 

That only leaves Hanzo with one option. He looks over at the werewolf. He would surely be warm. In dragon form, propriety stands no chance against comfort. Hanzo crawls under the blanket, walking up next to the cowboy scenting the air with his tongue.

 

It is different in dragon form, but the cowboy still smells good. Soap and shampoo hide most of it, but he smells of wide-open landscapes, warm sunburnt days under endless blue skies, a promise of wild nights and long conversations after spent pleasure.

 

Hanzo shakes his head as he climbs onto the cowboy’s warm chest and settles down. No matter how nice he smells McCree is not meant for him and he is being silly. Just because McCree is allowing him in his room while he is changed doesn’t mean any of the hostility between them is gone. He nuzzles into the cowboy and McCree sighs below him in his sleep.

 

Hanzo drifts back to sleep thinking on how nice it would be to have a mate.

 

 

Jesse wakes from a dream of being pinned down by something warm and tender and is about to sit up when he feels that the weight, though less, is still on him.

 

“Hanzo,” he mutters but the dragon only shifts in his sleep slightly. Jesse looks at him. In the semi grey light of morning he can see the dragon’s back legs sticking out backwards, meaning he is lying full on his tummy on top of Jesse, his tail running down the length of the cowboy’s body and between his legs. His head is forward and the werewolf can see just the tip of his tongue sticking out. He looks peaceful.

 

 _Perhaps I can stay in bed a little longer than normal_ , Jesse muses, reaching down and gently moving Hanzo’s tail away from his balls. Even in dragon form he doesn’t want Hanzo too close to those.

 

He is startled when Hanzo tucks his tail up, and turns on his side, but the dragon stays asleep, pulling the tip of his tail into his mouth and sucking on the ruff.

 

 _Ooo blackmail material,_ Jesse thinks as he carefully picks up his communicator and snaps a few pictures. He has never been happier that he had worn a T-shirt to bed in his life.

 

He puts the communicator down and scratches lazily at his own beard as he stares at Hanzo.

 

Jesse can honestly not see Hanzo in the little dragon. Maybe if he had a beard or ridges on his back, something hard and immovable it would be different, but the warm and soft dragon curled up on his chest just didn’t add up in his mind.

 

“You’re too cute,” Jesse murmurs as he reaches out his fingers and scratches at the dragon’s ridges. Hanzo yawns and turns one open eye on the werewolf.

 

“Morning, sunshine, the pillow too cold for you?” Jesse asks as Hanzo lifts into the air looking embarrassed and nodding.

 

“It’s always cold here when it rains, it’s all the concrete and metal,” he explains as he sits up and attaches his arm.  He stands and stretches, scratching absently at the warm spot Hanzo had pressed into him.

 

“It’s early, do you want to come with me while I go do laundry? I figure you might not want to stay cooped up for three more days and, well, you should be safe if you wrap around my shoulders. I can best most everyone but Reinhardt in a full out brawl. What do you say?”

 

Hanzo hesitates. He knows he shouldn’t. He should hide himself, but McCree is large and trusting him is easy. With trepidation he nods.

 

“Good, take it from me, these four walls can drive you mad. Reyes sent me to my room often when I was younger and, well, I nearly climbed them back then.” Jesse talks as he empties his backpack onto the bed and picks out his toiletries before stepping into the bathroom.

 

Hanzo drifts over inspecting the items left on the bed. Dirty clothes, a photo of Jesse and Genji, smiling widely in front of a serious faced man who Hanzo guesses must be their old commander, Reyes. Genji has mentioned him too.

 

A glint catches his eye and he worries a bullet out from the folds of the bedspread. It’s silver and has a name carved into the casing but before Hanzo can decipher it McCree returns.

 

“What are you doing with that?” the cowboy asks, picking up the bullet and stuffing it back in the bag. “Did you see the name?” he asks hotly and Hanzo shakes his head.

 

“Good, else I’ll have a bullet with your name on it as well,” Jesse warns as he gathers the picture and a few other personal items into the bag and stuffs it in the closet.

 

 _Nosey dragon_ , he fumes, embarrassed and angry at Hanzo, but more so at himself. He should have that on his belt, not at the bottom of his backpack. If the time comes, if he needs to… he will need it close at hand.

 

He gathers his laundry wordlessly as Hanzo hovers above his desk. Jesse leaves the shirt on the desk, knowing he needs to repair it.

 

Jesse lifts his arms in the air and Hanzo wraps his tail around the cowboy’s chest as he settles himself on the cowboy’s shoulders.

 

“Look, just forget about the bullet, it’s not my name on it, that’s all you need to know, okay? And it’s not like I want to use it. I was asked,” Jesse explains. That seems to soothe the dragon who tightens his grip.

 

 _Reyes, you bastard, even when you’re not around you are busting my balls,_ Jesse thinks as he leaves his room for the laundry room.

 

He pushes his commander from his mind as he feels Hanzo trembling against him. He reaches up and scratches the dragon under the chin.

 

“Cold or scared?” The flick of the tuff against his ribs has Jesse chuckling despite himself. “Guess being a dragon isn’t so great, huh? You’re losing all your heat through that satin smooth skin.”

 

Jesse runs his fingers over Hanzo’s tail, enjoying the feel. There is something wonderful about touching the dragon. He is so soft, so smooth and warm despite feeling cold. Reluctantly he pulls his hand away.

 

_Can’t get use to it._

 

They enter the laundry room and Hanzo lets go of Jesse and drifts off, enjoying the warmth of the room. He finds a perch high on a double stacked dryer and enjoys Jesse’s humming song as he sorts his clothes and sheets into washers.

 

“There now, I guess we have time for breakfast… I don’t suppose you are up for the mess are you?”

 

Hanzo floats down and looks Jesse in the face. A small frown plays between his eyes and for the first time Jesse can see the man in the dragon.

 

“Nod and we go.”

 

Carefully Hanzo nods.

 

Jesse can feel the tension in the dragon as they enter the dining hall but only a few recruits and Tracer are there.

 

“Hi, Jesse, oooo,” she coos as she zips over to the pair. Hanzo moves back as she looks at him with large eyes.

 

“Hanzo, stay like this. You are so cute!” she coos as she reaches at him, but the dragon lifts off of Jesse’s shoulders and onto his head, holding his body in the air on tip toes.

 

“Don’t fuss over Mr. Grumpy, Lena. We’re just getting breakfast and heading out again.”

 

“Can’t believe you two are getting along,” she muses as she tags after Jesse who is filling a plate with bacon and toast.

 

“We’re not, I am just big enough to protect him from Genji. Apparently, dragons kill each other,” Jesse drawls, ignoring Hanzo swatting him with his tail.

 

 _Liar, liar, liar,_ Hanzo thinks with every wack. He climbs down from Jesse’s head and points at the eggs.

 

“Yuck, I hate eggs,” Jesse grunts as he places them on Hanzo’s bowl of rice. “Bacon?” But Hanzo shakes his head.

 

“Sure, looks like you are getting along,” Lena sing songs.

 

“Trust me, we both can’t wait for this to be over. Right, Hanzo?”

 

The little dragon only looks at Jesse before rolling his eyes and settling on his shoulders again. They leave the mess and return to Jesse’s room.

 

Jesse places the bowl in front of Hanzo who eats with less gusto than the evening before. In fact Hanzo’s whole manner is off.

 

“What’s wrong? Still cold?” Jesse wonders as he takes a sip of coffee. He holds out a cup of tea to Hanzo, but the dragon ignores him.

 

“You’re mad about what I said to Tracer.” Hanzo nods, flicking his tail.

 

“Why?”

 

Hanzo dips his claw into his tea and writes on the tray, _You lied._

_“_ Do you like being a dragon?”

 

Hanzo shakes his head dipping his claw and writing again. _We are getting along._ He looks at McCree with big eyes before adding?

McCree looks uncomfortable.

 

“Okay, yes, I lied. Fuck.” Jesse wipes at his face. “Do you want the whole base gossiping about us? Jesse McCree and his pet dragon? Or do you want it to be McCree and Hanzo can’t stand each other, pretty funny turn of events?”

 

_Don’t care what others think._

“Well good for you, I do. I don’t submit to anyone and if they think I am soft it will just lead to more fights.”

 

Hanzo looks at the werewolf long and hard before going back to his food.

 

 _Who hurt you?_ the dragon wonders.

 

“Don’t take it personally, okay? It’s actually kinda nice having someone I can talk to. Been alone for a while and well… maybe Reinhardt has a point. I can’t stay by myself forever.”

 

Hanzo looks up curious.

 

“Maybe I’ll get a cat after you’re back to human. Cats are fine with werewolves, right?”

 

Hanzo flicks his tail in irritation.

 

They finish their meal and Jesse loads their tray back up with plates.

 

“You going to be fine? For a while? Gonna dry my washing, take the plates back and then see if Winston needs me for anything.”

 

Hanzo nods curling up under his t-shirt. He can’t believe he had entertained the idea that they were getting along. He knew better.

 

 _Well in three days’ time he will be rid of me and I will be gone._ Hanzo isn’t sure why this thought hurts so much when he means nothing to the cowboy.

 

Meanwhile, Jesse is kicking himself as he swaps his clothes to a dryer.

 

“We are getting along just fine, Lena… yeah it surprised me too but it’s actually nice having him around… he’s great company, great listener and having him just touching me is amazing, I haven’t been touched in forever and he is so soft and warm…” Jesse grinds his teeth together. “And the whole base will think I am some deviant abusing the helpless little dragon,” Jesse sighs rubbing his hand over his eyes. “And now he is mad at me and it sucks,” Jesse continues kicking the machine. “Fuck.”

 

It takes a while but he manages to track Genji down.

 

“What does your brother like?” Jesse asks.

 

“Made him mad at you already?” Genji teases.

 

“Yes, and I have three days left that I would rather not spend with him sulking at me. What does he like?”

 

“He likes old action movies. Jacky Chan, Bruce Lee, Bruce Willis. He might even enjoy your cowboy nonsense.”

 

Jesse blinks.

 

“Really?”

 

“Yes, that and drinking himself into a stupor, but in his current state that might be half a beer’s worth and I don’t think you want a dragon with a hangover on your hands.”

 

“Can’t be worse than Reyes,” Jesse argues.

 

“Yeah only because Hanzo can’t make you run lapse in your boots while nursing you own.”

 

Jesse grins at the memory.

 

“You looked fantastic in my boots.”

 

 


	6. Drinking Buddies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit by Lizar

The werewolf was right about one thing, after a short while by himself Hanzo feels like climbing the walls of the room.

He lays on his pillow miserable and bored, missing the stream of chatter from the cowboy in the quiet.

He lets his mind drift, thinking on McCree more than he should, recalling all the details he can about the werewolf: the creases in the corner of his eyes when he smiles, the steadiness of his breathing while he sleeps, the scent which is still painted on the room surrounding Hanzo.

It is ridiculous to taunt himself in this manner. One minute they seem to be getting along fabulously only to be at odds the next which means either he is being toyed with or he is drastically misjudging the good times. It is best to keep such thoughts far from his mind.

Boredom winning out, Hanzo lifts himself in the air and heads for the desk. He lands in front of the first report, reading it, but half a page in he loses interest. Jesse had been escorting some prisoner who tried to escape. From the wording the dragon knows it had not been successful, but any interesting details of the event had lost out to bureaucratic lingo.

He tries two more reports from the stack but they are even more routine, only reporting that the werewolf had nothing to report.

Next he lingers on the ripped shirt. He can repair it, even in this form. If nothing else it will give him something to do.

The little dragon worries open the drawer on the desk and pauses. Pens, an all but forgotten piece of equipment in the electronic age they live in and a novelty he  should have expect from the cowboy  who appreciated more traditional things just like the dragon did. A sheet is below the pens, written in an ugly scrawl that had to be the cowboy’s hand.

_Gabe,_

_I’m sorry, but things have gotten too much. You know I can’t stand by while we abuse…_ here a word was scratched out and replaced only to be scratched out again.

The letter had been abandoned there, crushed and then smoothed out. A second draft is on the opposite side of the page.

_Gabe,_

_You know me, you know about my history and the scar,_

The word ‘scar’ is scratched out but not as much as the other side.

_and you know that what we are doing by messing with the packs will lead to more kids like me…_

The letter ends here and it seems the werewolf gave up on the letter as there are no other pages.

 _What happened?_ Hanzo wonders. He wonders if the scar McCree mentioned in the letter is the ugly claw marks he had seen briefly on the cowboy’s inner thigh when he had peeked at McCree in the shower as he had left. Whoever had made those marks must have been trying to rip the werewolf’s balls off, at the very least. It cupped one of the werewolf’s cheeks and drew inwardly.

 _Maybe his trust issues are not so unusual,_ the dragon wonders as he closes the drawer and goes to the bedside table.

He forgets all about looking for a needle and thread when he sees the bottle of whiskey. It’s nothing special, cheap, but the bottle is big enough to get him drunk in his current state but small enough for him to lift.

Slowly and carefully Hanzo pulls the bottle onto the bed before twisting the lid off and taking a large sip. The liquor burns pleasantly.

 

“Hey, Hanzo, sorry I took so long. Got roped into a werewolf demonstration by Reinhardt…” Jesse begins as soon as he enters the room with his washing under his arm. He freezes when the dragon lifts his head and stares at him bleary eyed, the smell of whiskey assaults his nose.

“You didn’t,” he murmurs even as he sees the mostly empty bottle next to the dragon. At least the drunk little idiot had twisted the lid back on.

Hanzo lifts into the air; he twists over to Jesse and angrily taps the cowboy on the before nuzzling warmly against him.

“Um…” Jesse says unsure as he puts the washing down on the bed and picks the twisting dragon out of the air. For a moment it looks like Hanzo is going to puke on his shoes, but then he leans into McCree panting.

“Should I take you to Angela?” Jesse asks, but the dragon only shakes his head and holds onto the werewolf tighter.

“Okay then, but let me make the bed and get you comfortable. Do you want some water?”

 Hanzo leans up and his tongue flicks out across Jesse’s cheek and the cowboy freezes as the dragon twists around his arm and rest his head on Jesse’s shoulder.

“You look like that tattoo you have,” the cowboy comments as he quickly makes the bed, trying not to jostle the dragon too much.  Toeing off his boots, Jesse settles onto the bed.

“So what do I do with a drunk dragon?” he murmurs as Hanzo’s tongue flicks out over his cheek again. It is dangerously similar to a kiss.

“Are you always an affectionate drunk? I thought you were mad at me.”

Jesse regrets those words as Hanzo untangles himself, leaving a warm press on the cowboy’s skin, and wraps himself up instead.

“I’m sorry, really… I thought I was protecting your honor. Don’t scoff,” he answers as Hanzo flicks him with his tail. “You know what those recruits asked me when they thought Reinhardt wasn’t listening? They asked me if I knot when I have sex.”

Hanzo lifts his head and looks at Jesse, his eyes wide and looking a little more sober.

“Not the first time, buddy, between that and if I have had sex in my wolf form I have heard them all, bet you have heard your fair share of nonsense. Humans don’t seem to get that we are just as human as they are when not a wolf. I think the mid-form confuses them, since it’s stopping between the two, but it’s not something maintainable, can’t imagine trying to have sex like that. Mind you, it’s been so long…” Jesse left off of his musing looking over at Hanzo.

“I bet you don’t want to hear any of this and I am getting off point. Humans see werewolves as sexually depraved. If they knew we were getting along, sharing close quarters, a bed, well they would have a field day thinking I am taking advantage of you in some deviant way.”

Jesse grabs the bottle, taking a long drink. Hanzo watches him, reaching up his small claws asking for more, but the werewolf holds the bottle tightly.

“You had enough,” the werewolf says as he drains the bottle before reaching into the bedside drawer and opening another, “and I need to catch up.”

A short time later, Hanzo has draped himself in Jesse’s lap and the werewolf has a pleasant buzz going. He had found one of the movies Genji had mentioned and uncovered his wall monitor so they could watch it. Neither is paying it much attention.

Hanzo has sobered enough to enjoy Jesse lazily scratching over his skin without the press being too intense and, not for the first time, he wishes he was human and they were drunk together. They are both relaxed and pliable and it might just lead to something warm and pleasant they would both pretend to regret in the morning.

Hanzo turns on his back to have his belly scratched and Jesse flinches. Hanzo turns back and touches the werewolf’s thigh and tilts his head like a question.

“Ah, so you did notice the scar,” Jesse mutters drinking another hefty sip. He has passed tipsy to full out drunk. Hanzo nods.

“I don’t like talking about it.”

Hanzo turns onto his back again, then swipes at the air and pulling his hind legs together as if to protect his tender parts.

“If you are implying I was being submissive and nearly had my balls ripped off? Nah,” Jesse took a long drink from the whiskey before allowing Hanzo a sip as well. The dragon would need a little for the story he was about to share.

“Okay, I’ll tell the story, but if you repeat a word of it I’ll show people this photo of you,” Jesse says holding out his comm. He can see Hanzo changing from blue to purple as he looks at himself asleep sucking on his tail fluff. “We have an agreement?”

Hanzo nods ferociously.

“My ma was a free spirit, she left the pack to ‘find herself’ and came back with a mixed-race baby. My grandfather wasn’t happy and he stayed unhappy as she left me behind to be his and my gran’s problem as soon as she could. She would flirt in and out of our lives and every time she did I bore the brunt of his anger. He loved trying to dominate me in front of his pack and he would always make sure I was not considered a true part of it when ma wasn’t there,” Jesse drinks another sip before sharing the bottle with Hanzo again.

“The last time I was 15. He accused me of sniffing around a girl in the pack. I was old enough for it to really get under his skin, this little outcast bastard his daughter had dumped on him was looking at one of the purebred girls in the pack. Was enough for him to fight me and I fought back, hard. It infuriated him, made him try to castrate me, yelling that a mutt like me didn’t deserve to breed. Joke’s on him, I wasn’t interested in her, I was sweet on her brother, he had a voice you could just listen to for hours, but I couldn’t tell the pack that as he pinned me down on my back and tore into my flesh. I barely freed myself by changing and fled, intact,” Jesse drains the rest of the bottle and leans back against the wall. He wipes at his eyes.

“Why did I tell you that? Fuck,” he curses. Hanzo noses against him and Jesse looks at him, the little dragon points at Jesse’s comm and motions pressing.

The werewolf opens a notepad and puts the device in front of Hanzo.

_Monster._

_“_ Yeah he was and then some.”

Hanzo turns on his back briefly, just long enough to get his meaning across, and then types,

_Trust, sharing, not pain. Not hurt._

_“_ Maybe for you,” Jesse answers sourly.

_You won’t hurt me, belly rubs won’t hurt you._

“Why are you so insistent on this?”

Hanzo hesitates but then he types.

_Touch good. Trust good._

“Trust? Yeah, right,” Jesse scoffs, drunk enough to be forward, “You’ve got the hots for me and you’re trying to get all affectionate while you’re a cute little pet.”

Hanzo blushes slightly, tilting his head and raising his shoulders in a small shrug.

“Shit, we almost killed each other,” Jesse said, scratching at his hair in frustrated confusion, “and I’m kinda an asshole. How can you find me in any way appealing?”

 _You smell_ , the dragon types without pause.

“Yeah, you said that before, “Jesse sighs, “So what do I smell like?”

Hanzo thinks for a moment. He could tell Jesse a hundred things, a hundred little promises his scent burns into the dragon’s soul. That they could be happy together. That Jesse smelled like a mate and home, but the werewolf would not understand any of these.

_Running naked through the forest, passion under the stars and murmured goodnights._

Jesse blinks at this, reaching for the bottle before realizing it’s empty.

“That is honestly the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me… and I wanted to rip your face off.”

_You are not the first._

“I suppose not,” Jesse says, gazing at the dragon thoughtfully. “You promise the cuddlin’ and pettin’ isn’t sexual in any dragon way?”

Hanzo nods his head in affirmation and crosses his heart with a small, sharp claw.

“Good enough for me,” McCree says as he lies down, pulling Hanzo close to him. The little dragon cuddles into him.

“I’m too drunk for this all,” Jesse mutters as he breathes a kiss onto the crown of Hanzo’s head, “and you are too dragon for me to consider how I feel bout you other than that you are warm and soft.”

They lie together, Hanzo enjoying the embrace as Jesse breathes above him.

“I wish I had given you half a chance when we met, things could have been different. You might have been human now,” Jesse murmurs drunkenly.

“Mind you I probably would never have known how much I like you… ugh, I am too drunk,” Jesse pulls Hanzo close into a hug before letting him go slightly. “Sorry, don’t pay attention to me, I’m just drunk and lonely.”

Hanzo paws at Jesse’s chest in what he hopes is a soothing manner before settling. He wants to tell the werewolf so much, how this is the first honest feeling he has had, that he wants to hold Jesse, that Jesse doesn’t have to submit, to worry, because Hanzo will give himself to the werewolf.

He listens to Jesse fall asleep as he himself dozes, still drunk, knowing this won’t last even as he hopes it does. In the morning they will both be hung over and Jesse will realize just how much he has revealed and turn hostile toward the dragon.

Fearing this, Hanzo worms his tail around Jesse’s leg, holding on tightly across the scar as if he can press it out of the werewolf’s flesh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the missed update. Lizar visited family and I needed to get my head screwed on right again, it happens.


	7. Playing in the tall grass

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for editing as always Lizar

Jesse opens his eyes feeling relaxed and content despite the hangover pounding in his temples.

The little dragon is pressed against him and the werewolf smiles as he watches Hanzo tasting the air in his sleep before snuggling closer.

 _I kinda wish you would stay this way forever,_ the cowboy thinks as he watches the dragon’s side rise and fall in his sleep.

It is all so much simpler when sex, submission and egos are taken out of the equation. He can admit he likes Hanzo, that it is nice to sleep pressed against a warm body and wake up with someone in your arms.

It is nice. Jesse’s life could be so much simpler if it was possible to take attraction out of the mix, but he knows it’s not an option and it will not be the case when Hanzo changes back. Maybe they can enjoy it while they have the time.

“Hanzo, hey, wake up darlin’,” Jesse whispers until the dragon opens an eye.

“Mornin’, how’s the hangover?” Jesse asks. The wide yawn and claws pressing into his flesh are no indication.

“Want to go for a run? The room’s too small, I need to get out and, well, I kinda envy you.”

Hanzo tilts his head looking at Jesse in what only could be described a skeptical way.

“It all seems so much simpler being in your animal form. Less worries. I want to see if it’s true when I’m in my wolf form too. How about it? A day outside in our other forms.”

Hanzo considers for a moment before nodding, and carefully extracts himself from the warmth that is Jesse McCree.

 Jesse strips off his clothes as Hanzo lifts into the airs watching the werewolf. Even though he finds Jesse appealing, lean muscles, scars and all, it is not currently a sexual attraction. If anything it is an appreciation.

The werewolf looks nervous as he wraps his serape around his shoulders.

“Never spent long as a wolf outside of the full moon. This is going to be interesting. Well it was my idea… shoot we haven’t had breakfast… hold on.” Jesse mutters as he pulls on his sweats again and dashes out of the door.

Hanzo rolls his eyes and settles back down. It could be worse, he muses as he waits for the werewolf. Jesse had not pushed him away this morning and he was thinking about something they could do together.

_Jesse must like to run, it’s not the first time he had gone out as a wolf. I wonder if he likes being a wolf, he’s made me like being a dragon… Maybe I could learn to transform at will like he does if I like this run of his._

Hanzo yawns before lifting back into the air and floating into the bathroom. He stared at himself in the mirror.

_Does Jesse see the man inside the dragon? I can’t. Maybe I could just stay a dragon. It would not be so bad being Jesse’s pet if it means I get to stay with him and gain his affection._

The dragon knows he is being silly. He could no more be a dragon permanently than he could take his human form now. Sighing, he returns to the bedroom just as Jesse returns.

“Scrambled eggs for the mighty dragon,” the cowboy grins, “and the three little pigs for the big bad wolf.”

Hanzo bobs his head and Jesse grins even wider.

“I am going to take that as laughing because I am hilarious, sweetheart,” Hanzo bobs his head again and Jesse laughs.  They eat their breakfasts quickly, Jesse’s nervous energy infectious as he puts the plates on the desk before kicking off his pants again.

“Stay close okay? If you are in any danger or need me yip three times okay? I’ll protect you,” Jesse says and Hanzo yips once to confirm. The werewolf transforms and Hanzo can’t help but being fascinated by the process. Everything about Jesse is physical. Where Hanzo transforms with a pop of magic, here he can see the change until the brown wolf stood in front of him wagging his tail.

Hanzo drifts over and they rub their muzzles together before the dragon curls around the werewolf’s neck and holds on to the soft fur. The pair sets off, Jesse straying away from the humans on the base until they are out in the field. Then the werewolf runs and Hanzo is amazed by the power in Jesse’s body as the cowboy propels them forward. He tightens his grip as Jesse sets off, his speed picking up. Wind whips at Hanzo as he feels Jesse’s powerful muscles propel them forward. There is something scary and exhilarating to see the world blur and change around. The dragon feels the disappointment keenly when the werewolf finally slows and then stops, panting.

The dragon lifts himself in the air twirling around with pent up exhilaration and looks about. They must be miles from anywhere. Trees surround the cliff top and the ground is covered with soft grass. Jesse sits down, scratching himself behind the ear in true dog form before panting at the dragon. It is all so very strange seeing Jesse in this form and not being attacked.

Hanzo drifts up to him again and rubs his muzzle against the wolf’s before running his whole body along the wolf’s enjoying the softness of the fur. He is startled when he feels a wet nose edge up his tail and he twists in time to see Jesse reign in the wolf and pull his face away. Even in wolf form he looks embarrassed.

He bobs his head to show he is laughing, that Jesse wanting to sniff him is funny, that it’s okay. The dragon is pleased when the werewolf’s tail thumps the ground. The thumping releases a need in Hanzo’s heart, a want to bond with Jesse in their forms. They are both animals now and Jesse is in essence not that dissimilar to a dog and, if he admit it, pretty similar to one in manner at the moment perhaps they can play together? Really enjoy their forms and release any stresses and anxieties their human forms give them. It is certainly worth a try.

Feeling sheepish, he leaps forward, grabbing a mouthful of brown fur and shaking his head from side to side before running backwards in the air, lifting his rear in the air and waving his tail like he has seen dogs play in the past. Jesse catches on instantly, he lets out a bark and runs at Hanzo, missing him and circling around him and running back to his spot, mimicking the play bow.

It is Hanzo’s turn to rush at Jesse and the little dragon makes a real go at it, swimming in the air after the big wolf as Jesse takes off running circles around the pursuing dragon. Jesse is too fast and Hanzo too small but they make a real game of it, Hanzo trying his best and Jesse always stopping to let him catch up before setting off again.

When Hanzo finally tires, he sinks into the grass hiding out of sight from the werewolf. When Jesse notices his playmate is missing, he turns to backtrack, searching for the dragon. Hanzo waits until the werewolf is on top of him before he leaps up, tackling the wolf. Jesse pretends to be startled as Hanzo leaps at him and they roll backwards until Jesse is on his back with Hanzo on top of him, roaring and shaking a tuft of Jesse’s fur between his teeth before letting go and bobbing his head.

Only when he hears the thump of Jesse’s tail on the grass does Hanzo realize he has the werewolf on his back in what Jesse might consider a submissive posture. He lifts into the air instantly sticking the tuft of hair on the end of his tail into his mouth as he curls into himself.

 _Shit I didn’t mean to, don’t hate me, we were playing,_ he thinks fearfully.

Jesse gets up with a roll, whining as he comes over to Hanzo, licking at the little dragon’s skin.

 _It’s alright, darlin’, please it’s okay, surprisingly okay,_ Jesse whines as he licks at the dragon, trying to soothe him before rubbing his muzzle against the soft blue flank. Hanzo uncurls, looking at Jesse with large eyes. Carefully, Hanzo turns onto his back, not knowing what to expect from the wolf, but Jesse just sniffs at him for a moment then licks his neck and bounds off, barking at Hanzo to follow.

Their game continues for a while longer, but with Hanzo keeping himself from forgetting, the spirit has gone out of it and soon they settle into the grass together.  They press their noses together and Hanzo flicks his tongue out, tasting the werewolf.

_It would be perfect if I could transform back into a man and we could make love right now. This might be the only time Jesse would allow it, both of us content and together, instincts and emotions in control rather than our human hang ups. The universe is cruel._

In his own mind Jesse is having a different conflict.

_I don’t know how we will be when you are human again, but this has been the best day of my life. I don’t want to go back to hating you, I don’t want you to be arrogant and full of yourself. I wish you could stay like this, that I could stay like this and we can just be._

They curl up together, Hanzo between Jesse’s front paws with the werewolf’s head resting over his body to protect him as they both doze until Jesse is completely asleep, dreaming of running with Hanzo in the grass, both as a wolf and as a man. The dragon changes too, calling at Jesse to catch him, make him his, but no matter how fast Jesse runs, he can never catch up.

He wakes to Hanzo yipping and sits up, looking around. He spots the wolf and gets up, keeping Hanzo between his legs as he growls at the large white wolf approaching until the beast howls.

Instantly, Jesse changes back to human form.

“Reinhardt, you scared the crap out of me,” he says as he throws his serape around his waist. The large German changes too and throws on his own covering, a large cloak. Hanzo lifts into the air and hisses at Reinhardt baring his fangs.

“So it’s true, Hanzo is a tiny blue dragon. What are you doing out here?” the large man asks as Hanzo hisses at him again.

“He is not tiny and we were having a nice time outside until you scared us,” Jesse answers as Hanzo settles onto his shoulders, tossing the tuft of fur on his tail at Reinhardt.

“I was looking for you, you were not well before, my friend, and the recruits were worried that you might have gone feral when they saw you running for the field.”

“There is nothing wrong with me, big guy. Before I just had a bone to pick with Hanzo and the matter is settled now. Besides, those recruits know nothing about me.”

Unconvinced Reinhardt steps closer sniffing the air.

“You do smell better, like you have been socializing, not like a sour old loner.”

“Yeah, well, maybe I have been,” Jesse answers his fingers seeking out Hanzo’s head and scratching at his horns.

“Oh, I see.

“Don’t _oh I see_ me, old man, you can be just as lewd as those recruits. I am not doing anything to Hanzo but playing in the grass and enjoying the sunshine. I like being around him, I don’t know if this is temporary or if it will continue when he is back to human but for now it is innocent, ye hear?”

“Loud and clear, my friend, but that was not my meaning. You are bonding and relaxed, this is good. Packs can be anything. I will leave you to play,” Reinhardt laughs as he transforms and runs back towards the base, Jesse staring after him not sure of the German’s sincerity

“Why’d he have to come here and spoil a fantastic day?” Jesse asks Hanzo, “Ah forget him, he’s worse than an old woman. Want to sun yourself for a bit before we head back?”

 Hanzo nods, wanting to stay outdoors with Jesse for as long as possible.

The cowboy doesn’t chance back but pulls his serape off and lies down on top of it in the grass, Hanzo settling next to him.

“It’s not an invitation just so we are clear. I just need to be a little naked, get some vitamin d and give my junk a rest from being squeezed okay? Been in clothes since transforming in these stupid jeans and they just been some air, ok?”

Hanzo nods and stretches out, his hindlegs going behind him.

“You didn’t do anything wrong when you pinned me,” Jesse murmurs as he runs his fingers along Hanzo’s spine. “And I meant it when I said today was fantastic and that I liked you,” the werewolf continues. Hanzo leans over, his long tongue darting out to ghost over Jesse’s cheek as if to say he likes the cowboy too.

They lay together, Jesse not speaking, simply enjoying the sun. Glancing over the cowboy realizes the dragon is dozing again.

“I might even be a little bit in love with you,” Jesse admits as he turns onto his back. “Please don’t be an asshole when you change back, can you do that for me darlin’?”


	8. Attack

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit by Lizar, Thank you

After a shower where Jesse scrubbed the sweat and dirt from both from him and Hanzo, he sits on the bed scratching Hanzo’s head and ridges. The dragon rolls over and he begins to scratch the soft belly absentmindedly.

“It was fun today, can’t tell you the last time I just got to sun myself,” Jesse yawns as he gets up, pulling a T-shirt over his head.

“What do you say about getting some grub and watching a movie? End the day on a relaxing note?”

Hanzo lifts into the air and perches on Jesse’s shoulders.

“So what’s it gonna be? Jackie Chan or a Western? Or Jackie Chan in a Western? Not as good as his earlier work but it’s pretty funny after a few shots, not that we should be getting you drunk again, don’t know how it Is affecting your recovery,” Jesse chatters as they make their way to the mess hall.

He is in a great mood and Hanzo is as warm and soft as ever. The dragon is curled on his shoulders loosely and, even though he doesn’t react, Jesse knows he is listening.

Whistling, Jesse grabs a plate and a bowl, filling both with food. He is so preoccupied that he only realizes they are not alone when Hanzo’s claws dig into his neck and the dragon jips to get his attention.

Genji has entered the mess hall behind them and froze in the doorway when he spotted Hanzo.

Jesse turns to put himself between the two dragons. The look in Genji’s eyes is something dark the cowboy has not seen since their missions with Blackwatch.

“Genji, buddy, now don’t do anything you will regret,” Jesse says carefully putting the bowl and plate down on the table in front of him before raising his hands in a calming fashion.

“Brother,” Genji says, fixated on Hanzo. Jesse can feel the little dragon’s claws digging deeper into his neck and the wetness of his own blood.

“You’d have to go through me, Genji, I cannot let you hurt Hanzo.”

“It would be so easy…”

“It’s a coward’s revenge.” The words reach something in the ninja and he shakes his head.

 Jesse reaches for his plates, ready to retreat when Reinhardt booms into the room, drawing the cowboy’s attention to the door slamming against the wall.

Like a shot, Genji is past Jesse, grabbing at Hanzo as the little dragon dives away from his grasp.

“Genji!” Jesse snarls, grabbing the cyborg just as he manages to slash a long gash in Hanzo’s flesh.

Jesse pins the ninja down as Hanzo flees, growling and snarling.

“Calm down, Genji, no!” he yells as the ninja struggles, “Rein, please, I need to find Hanzo!”

The big German lifts Jesse to his feet as if he is nothing while containing Genji in another hand and Jesse takes off running.

“Shit, shit, shit, where are you? Please be alright, shit!”

His heart is in his throat, beating angrily as he runs, trying to scent the dragon but all he smells is blood.

“Hanzo, darlin’, please I am coming. Don’t hide, I am so sorry,” he calls as he turns in circles and follows the trail blindly.

He finds the dragon in a pool of his own blood on the rooftop where they first met, hissing as the werewolf draws close. Hanzo’s smell is acidic with fear and his eyes are wild. He spits at Jesse as he kneels down.

“Darlin’, shhh, it’s just me. Shhh, I am sorry,” he reaches out his flesh hand and flinches but doesn’t pull back as the dragon sinks his teeth into the hand.

Tasting Jesse brings Hanzo out of his panic and the dragon releases the cowboy’s hand, licking at the bite.

“I should have been more alert,” Jesse curses as he holds out both hands and the dragon climbs into his arms. “Let me get you to the med bay.”

 

Angela dabs at Hanzo’s side gently as Jesse rubbernecks behind her.

“He alright doc?” he asks again.

“It’s a deep cut, but he will be fine, Jesse,” she answers patiently as she runs a hand over the cut muttering a few words as healing magic flows through her fingers; this close she doesn’t need her staff. The cut closes, flesh knitting together until the wound is completely healed.

“There we go,” she says brightly, rubbing her fingers over Hanzo’s head. “You have lost a lot of blood, so you will be weak and need rest.”

“I’ll take you to the room and go get our food, I am so sorry, Hanzo,” Jesse apologizes again but Hanzo lifts into the air unsteadily to float to the cowboy and lick at his face with his long tongue before falling against Jesse’s chest.

“Will this hinder him changing back?” Jesse asks Mercy.

“I don’t know much about dragons, but this is magical. It should not be affected. He should still turn back in due course,” she answers as he touches Hanzo gently to get his attention.

“You could stay here if you prefer,” she tells him, “I could ward against Genji and there is more room,” she offers but he crawls onto Jesse’s shoulders and flicks his tail at her.

“Very well,” she smiles softly, “but do come back if you need anything,” she calls as the werewolf and the dragon leaves her office.

 

Jesse lets Hanzo slip gingerly onto his pillow before placing his serape around the little dragon. Hanzo burrows into it gratefully. He is a paler blue than he normally is and Jesse hovers, wanting to comfort him but not knowing how.

Hanzo sits up miming typing until Jesse catches on and opens his communicator.

_This is not your fault, or Genji’s. We are dragons, we kill each other if given the opportunity. It is our nature._

“But I should have protected you better! I failed,” Jesse says looking at Hanzo.

_You didn’t fail. I am alive, am I not?_

“But you are hurt.”

_And I will heal. You should have let Dr. Ziegler look at your hand. I am sorry for biting you._

Jesse could laugh.

“You were torn open and you worry about a tiny bite?”

_I do not want you hurt on my account. I care about you._

The dragon looks up at Jesse, blinking large glossy eyes as he stares at the werewolf for a reaction.

“Why?”

_You are kind, not many would care for an enemy in similar circumstances. Especially when that enemy is attracted to them and they know and don’t feel the same._

“I…” Jesse sputters. “Let me go get our dinner,” the cowboy all but flees from the room and Hanzo sighs slowly.

The dragon is in pain, the healer’s magic fighting against his own, but that is nothing in comparison to his heart. He has gambled on Jesse McCree and lost.

He shifts on the pillow until his body doesn’t ache as badly.

_I am in love with you, you idiot._

He types lazily into the communicator before closing his eyes and drifting.

 

_How do I handle this? How is he so attracted to me? Fuck, fuck, fuck, I am going to have to tell him I have never been attracted to anyone. I like him, I might even be in love with him too, but it’s not the same. Fuck, can’t sex and attraction just not be a factor, just once?_

Jesse’s mind screams as he gets their plates and fills them up. He can feel the worried and curious eyes on him but his inner worries tops them all.

_Just tell him, then it will all end._

Nodding to himself Jesse returns to his room.

“Hanzo?” he whispers as he puts down their plates. The dragon gets up and Jesse gives him his food.

“God, I don’t know how to say this,” the cowboy mutters into is untouched food.

“It’s not that I am not enjoying your company, quite the opposite. It’s been great having you here, but I don’t want you to get your hopes up. I am a loner, a werewolf without a pack and no matter how well we get along now, I cannot change what I am. Even if I am in love with spending time with you, I don’t know how we will be when you are human again, we will probably not be like we are now because I don’t do well with humans. But for the record, I don’t see you as an enemy.”

Hanzo stares at Jesse for a long time and then nods.

“You want to type anything?” Jesse asks but Hanzo shakes his head, finishing his food. Hanzo crawls into his makeshift bed and Jesse nods in understanding. He has fucked it all up.

He takes the plates back to the mess and when he returns Hanzo is asleep. Feeling terrible, he crawls into bed and goes to sleep, or he tries to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Mercy, I see this set in the same universe as Halloween Terror so she uses magic like her ancestor the Witch of the Wilds.


	9. It all comes crashing down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit by Lizar, thank you

Morning is nothing more than a dull grey promise when Jesse opens his eyes feeling more empty and alone than he has in a long while.

 

Hanzo had not come to curl up against Jesse at all during the night and the cowboy feels the cold emptiness of his loss keenly.

 

“I am an idiot,” Jesse sighs, covering his face with an arm.

 

“I am not going to argue with you there,” Hanzo answers and Jesse sits up in surprise.

 

“Hanzo, you’re back.”

 

“I was never gone, but yes, I am back to normal,” Hanzo agrees stiffly. He is seated with the serape in his lap and he is pale with dark circles under his eyes.

 

Jesse can feel his face heating up in embarrassment. The dragon is hurt, both physically and emotionally and both are his fault.

 

“I am sorry Hanzo,” he begins but the dragon shakes his head.

 

“You have nothing to be sorry for. You helped me when I was helpless, and it was… pleasant being in your company,” the dragon admits. “Thank you for taking care of me.”

 

“I… It was a pleasure. I must admit I am a little shocked, didn’t we have another day together?” _Another day I could use to make everything up to you?_

 

“Four days was my best guess at the time,” the dragon is quiet for a moment, “Would you have preferred if I had remained a dragon longer?”

 

“Well I,” Jesse takes a deep breath. How is he going to answer this question without upsetting the man before him, the man he really knows nothing about. “I only really know you as the dragon, buddy.” Hanzo winches at these words. “But that doesn’t mean I want to go back to fighting you. I could use a friend,” Jesse continues.

 

Hanzo looks away from Jesse and at the serape in his lap. As much as it hurt, he knows the truth.  The werewolf is not interested in him and nothing Hanzo does can change his mind. All that is left is to make his escape.

 

“Would you mind lending me a pair of trousers?”

 

“Sure thing,” Jesse answers, getting out of bed and heading to the bathroom. “I put your sweatpants to the side, so you would have something to wear when you changed back,” but the sweatpants are gone, and Jesse is startled when he hears the door closing.

 

“Hanzo?” he questions, but the dragon is gone. Jesse scratches at his beard. Hanzo had sent him into the bathroom so he could sneak out.

 

Sighing, Jesse sits down on his bed. That could have gone better, but in the long run a bit of awkwardness between them would be better than building up the dragon’s hopes that there could be something between them, not when the werewolf knew what he was.

 

“Bastard better give that serape back,” Jesse curses as he pulls out a cigarillo from his bedside table. His lighter is no where to be found. Agitated, he rummages around before turning to his desk. The shirt he had abandoned there has been neatly folder and the werewolf’s heart sinks when he sees the careful stitching. Hanzo has repaired it.

 

“Ah, hell,” he curses, feeling more dreadful by the minute. He has rejected the dragon when Hanzo has done nothing to warrant it.

 

_I need to apologize, maybe we can talk things out, maybe we can be friends and who knows…_ Jesse muses as he lights the cigarillo, puffing interminably as he gets dressed in his jeans, boots and a clean shirt. He regrets not washing the repaired one, sure that Hanzo would interpret him wearing it as a sigh of good intentions.

 

Instead he places his hat on his head, pockets his comms and heads for the mess.

 

_Hanzo will be hungry. He’ll probably want to talk with Genji too. If they are together, I will hang back, give them room._

 

Jesse is disappointed when Genji is by himself, the elder dragon no where in sight.

 

“Jesse, how is Hanzo? Is he resting? Angela said he’d be fine, but…”, Genji begins but his words taper off when he sees the look on the werewolf’s face.

 

“You haven’t seen him?” Jesse asks, a growing dread landing in the pit of his stomach.

 

“You lost him?” Genji shoots back.

 

“He changed back and well… left. I was sure he would come and talk to you,” Jesse answers, “maybe he went to Winston,” he continues pulling out his comm and flicking it open to call the gorilla.

 

_I am in love with you, you idiot._

He stares at the words on the screen with a mixture of excitement and shame, feeling cold. Hanzo is in love with him and he trampled all over his feelings because he was so hung up about intimacy.

 

“Ah shit fuck,” he moans as he turns from Genji and hurried back to his room, stripping off his shirt in the process. The dragon’s scent was there, but faint after smoking, and he strips off his clothes, kicking his boots into his room before changing quickly.

 

He can still can’t feel the fullness of his senses, but Hanzo’s dragon smell has always overwhelmed everything in Jesse’s short time of knowing him and he is easy to track.

 

The dragon had paused outside the door, touching the outside before hurrying away. Jesse follows. The trail takes him into the training yard where he ignores Reinhardt’s greeting and the oohs and aahs of the recruits as he keeps his nose to the scent and runs into the shower room.

 

The scent is muddled here but Jesse can tell by the open locker Hanzo had come for his gear before leaving, after perhaps a brief pause to catch his breath.

 

_You should be resting._

 

Jesse follows the scent out and into a random corner of the hanger. Hanzo had pulled something from a deep shelf. For a moment he is confused by the smell of oil, feathers and metal but then it all clicks in his mind, Hanzo had hidden his bow here.

 

_When though? Right after we landed? After the fight?_

 

With no answers he follows the trail to one of the sleeping quarters, right up to the door of a room, the trail ends here. If Hanzo had come here, he has not left.

 

Jesse changes back, his own nakedness only a shiver of cold as he bangs on the door.

 

“Hanzo! Hey Hanzo. Darlin’, we need to talk,” he yells, barely noticing the snicker from a group of passing recruits.

 

The door remains closed and worry gnaws at the werewolf.

 

“I am breaking this door down,” he warns, waits a moment and then changes to his mid-form and pulls the door off its hinges.

 

The room is empty, but for the stale smell of dragon. The bed is made, and the room is neat and bare like Jesse’s own, lacking even the personal touches of a decade old poster and dusty long forgotten reports.

 

Nothing of a personal nature remains.

 

Cursing himself, Jesse walks to the open window. Hanzo had gone through it.

 

“Fuck, I hope you went down,” he mutters as he jumps. His heart hardly has time to sink into his stomach as the three stories sail past him before he lands heavily on the hard dirt below. He slips on a loose rock as his feet hit the ground and, not being used to his mid-form, his right ankle buckled under him painfully, bringing him to his hands and knees in a whimper. Jesse blinks away tears as he picks up the  dragon’s scent.

 

“I’m coming darlin’ he whispers as he changes, ignoring his own pain as he follows the trail away from the Watchpoint.


	10. On The Road

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit by Lizar, thank you, really you deserve a medal

Bitter disappointment pumps through Hanzo, stinging his eyes and twisting his heart as he leaves all his foolish hopes behind.

He deserves this, he tells himself, the utter and complete unhappiness his life is. He had tried to kill his brother, not because it was their nature, as Genji often told him in comfort, but because he had been ordered to do so.

Jesse McCree was just another stab to the heart in a long line of deserved punishments. There is no redemption for someone like him. He must learn to numb his heart to these fresh pains, letting them rest with the others in the darkness of his soul rather than bleeding fresh agony into his being. He should be used to all this by now, life is nothing but one big never-ending disappointment, after all.

His mind will not release Jesse McCree or his ease smile. It has been so good. The warm werewolf pressed close and the feeling of belonging, but he had lied to himself that he could have anything come from the obligation of taking care of him he had thrust upon the cowboy.

He has caused his own heart to be ripped out by hoping for more, a more that is not there and never has been. He should have just sat down and left Genji kill him, it would have ended his suffering on a high note, never having Jesse reject him, and would have given his brother the vengeance he deserved.

Sighing, Hanzo wipes a hand over his brow. To top off all his woes he has fled with his tail between his legs while physical drained.

Dropping his pack into the dust, he leans against the lone tree he has stopped below. He has not put as much distance between himself and the Watchpoint as he had hoped when setting out and the base is still in clear view.

Sighing again, he picks up his pack ready to put more distance between himself and his problems before Genji realizes he has left and tries to find him to talk him into returning.

The wind shifts, whipping his hair into his face, and Hanzo wipes it away in frustration when he stops dead; the wind brought with it a scent he had not expected. Forgetting his hair, he runs forward into the tall grass.

 

Jesse is acutely aware his hind foot as he runs, every step a flair of agony, but he tries to push it from his mind only focusing on the scent. The dragon is not that far ahead of him.

He stops, looking around at the dirt sniffing deeply. Hanzo has stopped here recently. A pack, his serape inside, had rested here, Hanzo had leaned against the tree, he had been sweating. Then he picked up the pack, hesitated and ran into the grass.

Jesse bounds off into the grass after the scent.

Hanzo doesn’t dare breathe a sigh of relief as he watches the werewolf disappear into the grass from his perch in the tree. He is sure Jesse is not this dumb, that he will realize Hanzo had leapt from the grass into the tree and hid there like a coward.

The dragon’s heart is beating fast, loud in his own ears.  His feelings twist inside of him. Jesse came for him… no it could not be that simple. He probably came for the blanket Hanzo stole. He wore it often, it was probably sentimental and the dragon had taken it as a treasure, a reminder of how bitter sweet the cowboy was.

Still, the thrill of seeing the werewolf boils in his blood, a mixture of fear, awe and shameful love. Jesse is a very big werewolf, his shoulders reaching head height of Hanzo and, from experience, the dragon knows he is pure muscle below the tawny fur. If Hanzo didn’t defend himself Jesse could rip his head off with no real effort. Jesse is dangerous and Hanzo is smitten.

After what feels like a lifetime with no werewolf in sight, Hanzo quietly slips from the tree to continue on his way. He scents the air, but the lingering scent of werewolf, of warmth and happiness stings his eyes and instead he hurries on.

The dragon makes it a dozen or so feet from the tree before the air shifts behind him suddenly and a large mass lands on his back, knocking him to the ground, throwing his pack which lands some distance from him.

Teeth snap above Hanzo, drawing closer to his head until he feels the shift and the large werewolf on top of him is a man, heavy, angry and pinning him down.

“Just where in the Sam Hill do you think you are going? You’re just gonna leave? Just like that? Still weak? Still hurting and not tryin’ to fix anythin’? You are just gonna leave me those words and disappear?” Jesse snares into the dragon’s ear, his teeth still feeling overlarge in his mouth, getting in the way of his words, or perhaps it is the raw emotions threatening to explode out of him. “It ain’t right. And what about Genji?”

“Genji does not need a brother and Overwatch does not need my services. There are better men out there, good men.”

“Perhaps, but perhaps Overwatch doesn’t need good men,” Jesse says a lot more softly, getting up from Hanzo with a wince. His ankle hurts as he puts weight on it. Already it is swollen and angry.

Hanzo turns onto his back, his eyes darting to the ankle and he curses under his breath.

“You hurt yourself,” he says getting up and going to his pack. “I don’t know healing magic, so I can’t do much,” he continues opening the pack. Jesse’s blanket is the first thing he pulls out. He presses it to his chest, inhales the comforting scent one final time and holds it out to the werewolf.

“I am sorry, it was wrong for me to take this. I will help you back to the Watchpoint and then you will never need to see me again.”

“Ain’t you listenin’? I want you to stay. Don’t leave because of me,” Jesse fumbles, sitting down in the grass as he wraps his serape around his waist.

The dragon hesitates then bends down and slowly starts wrapping the werewolf’s ankle.

“We don’t have to draw it out. Being around you was enjoyable, but we both know you prefer me as a dragon and it’s not a state I can maintain. It will just be a disappointment to us both if you have to deal with the man I truly am.”

“I only prefer you as a dragon because this is the first time you’ve really talked to me as a man. Instead of giving it a go, getting to see if we can be friends, you leave a note that you are in love with me and run away.”

Hanzo pulls his hands away and Jesse winches in pain.

“I forgot I typed that,” he gasps.

“Ouch, don’t know which hurts more.”

“You are not interested in me anyway, why does this matter.”

“Buddy, it’s not so much that I’m not interested in you, I’m not interested in anyone. I’ve never been interested in anyone, never felt the sparks,” Jesse admits, feeling his face turn red as the dragon stares at him, the gears in his head turning.

“You are asexual? Is that what you mean?”

“I don’t know, is it?” Jesse says scratching his head.

“Have you ever looked at someone and just wanted to have sex with them?”

“Not really.”

Hanzo sighs, pinching the ridge of his nose as he sits back.

“I thought… You told me about that boy growing up and I assumed…” Hanzo trails off.

“He had a nice voice, real soothing. I liked to be with him but nothing… sexual.”

The two sat looking at one another for a moment.

“Look, Hanzo, when you were a dragon… the cuddles… it was nice, and having someone to talk to and well, I loved it. I might not be attracted to you but, well, I care about you. I can’t say that it will ever be sexual, but friends, maybe more?”

Hanzo sits considering this for a long moment before he continues tending to Jesse’s ankle.

“The silence is killing me, buddy,” Jesse says after a moment.

“Darling,” Hanzo says quietly.

“Yes, sugar plum?” Jesse says and is rewarded with a look that could melt his insides.

“No, call me darling, not buddy. Like you did when I was a dragon,” Hanzo says.

“Alright, darlin’,” Jesse nods, reaching down and taking Hanzo’s hand in his. “Now I will take you up on that offer to take me back to the Watchpoint. This smarts something dreadful.”

Carefully, they stand Jesse up, the werewolf leaning heavy on the dragon. Hanzo can’t help the small smile that spreads on his features as Jesse fights to keep the serape around his waist. Perhaps he can let himself enjoy the press of the werewolf against him, warm and comforting, just a little while longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you enjoy my work, consider buying me a ko-fi, I will draw you a noodle dragon as a thank you   
> http://ko-fi.com/ruetknight 
> 
> If you would like to see my art, I am on Instagram ruetknight


	11. Piggyback Ride

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for editing Lizar

Returning to the base is a lot more challenging than either Jesse or Hanzo had imagined. After agitating the sprain in his pursuit of Hanzo, the cowboy can’t put any weight on his ankle and leans heavily on the dragon’s shoulder for support. This would not have been a problem if his serape would stay around his waist instead of slipping down every few feet forcing them to stop and adjust it.

After a few dozen steps, Hanzo stops them both.

“This isn’t working. Put my pack on you back and let me carry you,” the dragon says practically. Jesse hesitates. For the archer to carry him on his back he would need to spread his legs, the thought of which suddenly makes his nakedness seem almost obscene.

“I’m not sure that is the best idea. Just let me change, then I at least have three feet and can hold the broken one in the air,” Jesse counter offers but the dragon shakes his head.

“Jesse please let me take care of you,” Hanzo says quietly and there is something in the words that makes Jesse agree. Wordlessly, he takes the pack and swings it onto his shoulders and allows Hanzo to lift him onto his back. The cowboy has a moment of panic as Hanzo’s hand slides over his scars as he lifts, but soon his hands are behind the werewolf’s knees and Jesse is pressed against the dragon’s back.

The going is slow but with less stopping, and soon the base is in sight. Neither speaks, both aware of Jesse’s naked body pressing against the dragon. The serape has slid up and all that is between Hanzo and Jesse is the thin Overwatch training uniform Hanzo still wore.

_I should not be enjoying the feel of Jesse pressing against me. He is not for me, I can’t believe I never realized what his words meant. I want him so much and he is incapable of returning those wants, but I am selfish and want to show him that he can love me. That just because I desire him doesn’t mean sex is all I care about. I need to show him how I can love him without the need to be physical._

Hanzo’s mind is a jumble of thought. Jesse being asexual was a relief and a complexity. Hanzo could still win his affection even after being rejected, the cowboy would not have followed if there was no feelings at all. Hanzo would just have to be creative, show Jesse he cared without sexual attraction coming in to play. He wonders if he can do it. He longs to connect with this man, but the sculpted musculature pressed against his body is difficult to ignore.

“I am sorry,” Jesse says quietly into Hanzo’s ear, his breath a warm pleasant breeze tickling the dragon’s earlobe.

“Don’t apologize, I must repay the service you showed me. Carrying you is not a hard task.”

“Not that, I am sorry about how I told you I am not interested before. I didn’t realize what I was saying could make you feel like you had to leave.”

“I decided to go the day you arrived at the watchpoint. You are the reason I stayed; you are the reason I will stay, if you want me,” the archer says quietly.

“Overwatch needs every last soldier they can get,” Jesse starts but Hanzo shakes his head.

“I will only stay or leave on your command. I want to know you better, learn what else you dislike apart from eggs and listen to you ramble on. I want to learn how to transform at will and play in the grass with you again. I want to be a companion to you, we both need that.”

“What happened to fucking under the stars?” Jesse questions. Hanzo is glad Jesse can’t see his face. He can feel his face light up and he bent his head down, hiding it as best he can.  

“It was a description of your scent, an inadequate one at best. You smell like a promise Jesse, sexual, emotional, it doesn’t matter.  Your smell overpowers me. If you are in a room, it will be the first one I pick up and it lingers, even when I transformed back your smell was in every one of my pores. I would have to scrub you from my skin and it is not something I could bear to do now. When I smell you, I can imagine a life together with you... it is painful to realize that it is not the same for you.”

“You are wrong,” Jesse says carefully, wrapping his arms more fully around Hanzo’s shoulders. “I thought it was because you are a dragon, but your scent dulls out everything else, even when I have numbed my nose. I don’t have much of an imagination, never had the leisure of expecting any one to fall for me and that I would let them in, but yeah, I can see a simplistic happiness in what you say. Having someone to talk to is mighty nice.”

For a dozen or more paces neither of them speak, Hanzo enjoying the press of Jesse against his back and Jesse relaxing into Hanzo as he grows accustomed to the feel.

“I am not promising anything, but... well...” Jesse begins and almost instantly trails off. Hanzo is a patient man, letting the cowboy gather himself.

“Would you like to have dinner with me tonight? Like a date, I suppose. We can talk, figure all of this out.”

Hanzo smiles as he stops, they are in sight of the entrance to the base. He lets Jesse slide carefully from his back and they continue on, Hanzo’s hand firmly on his hip, holding up the serape.

“I would like that very much,” he agrees, hoping that he was not letting himself in for heartbreak now that his heart was soaring higher than it had even been. Silently beside him Jesse was hoping that he was not setting them both up for failure.

 

Angela smiles tight lipped as Hanzo delivers Jesse to her medical center.

“You two sure are active, I am glad to see you have returned to your human form,” she says conversationally as she carefully unwraps the swollen ankle and examines it.

“We are nothing of the kind doc, just twisted it while out running,” Jesse insists and Hanzo could not help smiling. Now that he understood, it was endearing to see the werewolf backpedal away from anything he preserved as sexual.

“Running naked?” Mercy teases and the cowboy glows with embarrassment.

“I have plenty of fur covering me as a wolf,” Jesse reassures her.

“I’m only teasing you, Jesse, there is nothing wrong with having… fun together,” she winks at Hanzo as she set to work.

“We are not, I assure you. Jesse is nothing but a perfect gentleman,” Hanzo reassures as he sits down.

He is tired, though he will not let Jesse know this. He had used a lot of his strength to carry the werewolf back to the base and Jesse is heavy. He could feel the weakness setting into his legs at the entrance and was glad they could hobble the rest of the way here.

“Perhaps you could stand to be less of a perfect gentleman once in a while, cowboy,” she teases as she repairs his ankle with her magic.

As soon as he can stand Jesse is on his feet.

“Thank you doc, appreciate the healing, but if it’s all the same I’ll stay a gentleman,” he rattles off and makes for the door, stopping only when Hanzo doesn’t follow.

“You alright darlin’?” he questions.

“Yes, I will see you tonight at dinner,” Hanzo tells him and Jesse hovers for a moment, unsure what to do. He has gotten use to Hanzo being a dragon and a near constant companion, but he recovers quickly when Angela raises an eyebrow.

“Tonight then,” Jesse says and retreats.

Mercy turns her full attention to Hanzo.

“You are very pale, you have been exerting yourself. Running from the cowboy?” she asks.

“And bringing him back,” the dragon answers the witch.

“Jesse is a… different kind of being. He would not have gone after you if you didn’t mean something to him, even if he doesn’t realize this himself,” she said gently as she gets up and mixes a potion which she gives to Hanzo. He drinks it, pulling a face at the taste.

“I have come to realize this. Jesse is dear, I will be lucky if he chooses me as a companion.”

“Oh, Hanzo,” Mercy says with a small smile,” I think he already has.”

 

Jesse feels exposed in more ways that one as he returns to his room. The witch has always seen through him and he is fearful of what ideas she would put in the dragon’s mind. None of them Jesse could fulfill.

He closes the door to his room behind him with a sigh as he looks over the empty space. He is alone, utterly and completely alone… and keenly aware that Hanzo is not there.

“I miss the blue little annoyance,” he mutters as he makes for the shower. He turns on the water and, before it has a change to warm up, steps under the spray. He shivers.

Just what was he thinking asking the dragon to dinner? Was he really considering letting the dragon be his mate?

Sighing deeply, Jesse lets the water warm up. He is sure he is going crazy. If he was asexual, as Hanzo put it, then why bother dating? Leading Hanzo on? But he wants to be close to the dragon.

Even now, his skin itches at the thought of the empty room beyond the bathroom door and the loneliness that would sink in again.

Reinhardt had been right. He needs someone to touch him, a pack. He needs to figure out if that would mean eventually submitting and having sex with the dragon.

Jesse shudders. The dream still bothers him, as well as the idea of spreading his legs and letting the dragon nestle between them, touching the scars before opening him wide.

The werewolf cuts the thought short, turning the water cold on himself before stepping out, shivering slightly as he dries and dresses himself.

Having nothing else to do, he decides to run, this time in human form. Magic had healed his ankle but he can feel the stiffness still. A run, even a short one, might loosen it up.

At least that is what he tells himself and not that he wants to talk to the German.

The training yard is a hive of activities as Jesse starts moving. As a human, he has never been fast, but he gets a good pace going and soon he can feel himself relaxing.

Reinhardt is nowhere in sight but it hardly matters. He likes Hanzo well enough he decides. He could make a go at intimacy, holding hands, maybe a kiss. They could take it slow, build and if he is uncomfortable then they can address it.

There is no rush from his side and the dragon seems reasonable to an extent. He is sure this could work. He would not withhold sex, they would simply build up to it.

He leaves the training yard an hour later, needing another shower.

 Stepping under the spray again he washes the sweat from his body before taking himself in hand. He had never thought of someone else while doing this. Had never wanted anyone to even think of touching him, never mind thinking of touching someone else instead.

He strokes himself as he thinks about Hanzo, trying to think on what sexy is.

Nothing comes to mind. Hanzo is handsome and that is the best he can come up with. He smells overwhelming. It is good, it is nice but it is not getting him hard.

Disgusted and disappointed with himself, he cuts his shower short , dries himself and then curls up on his bed naked.

This is not what he had wants. He wants to want Hanzo as the dragon clearly wants him, but he can’t feel those feelings. He is going to hurt the dragon because he is broken.

Why had he ever asked him to dinner?


	12. The Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the edit Lizar

Jesse is nervous as he places his hat on his head and looks at himself in the mirror. He wonders what Hanzo sees in him that is considered attractive. He knows he is good looking, he has always been, but just what is attractive?

 

He slams his flesh fist into the sink in frustration before leaving the bathroom.

 

Their plans are pretty loose. The dragon messaged him half an hour after his disastrous shower and asked if they can meet at his room before heading out.

 

The suggestion has Jesse’s heart in his throat. Meeting at Hanzo’s bedroom. The implication is in the name. Bed. Most people have sex in beds. They follow their partners home after dinner and have sex. Jesse is sure meeting for sex first also happens. Sex is what normal healthy people do to show attraction and affection.

 

He wishes Hanzo was the little blue dragon again or that he was somehow stuck in his wolf form.

 

As Jesse rounds the corner to Hanzo’s room he is surprised and relieved to see the dragon waiting outside for him.

 

He runs an eye over the dragon, comparing their clothes as he approaches. Casual. Jeans and t-shirts. Nothing fancy except the tattoo on Hanzo’s arm that he has no choice but to wear.

 

“Jesse, hello,” Hanzo says awkwardly, smiling briefly.

 

“Hanzo,” the cowboy greets and then is stumped. It had been easy to talk to the little dragon, but the man’s hopeful eyes on him dry up his words.

 

“Walk with me,” Hanzo says and Jesse is glad to fall in next to the dragon.

 

“We are not heading to the cafeteria?” Jesse comments.

 

“I thought we might have a drink before eating. I figured we would both be nervous,” the dragon says with another small smile. His fingers brush against Jesse’s arm before he catches himself and pulls them back.

 

“My apologies. I am presumptuous,” Hanzo says quickly. Breathing deeply, Jesse smiles; if Hanzo wants to hold his hand he won’t protest.

 

He holds his palm out and the dragon slides his hand in, their fingers interlocking.

 

“This is nice,” Jesse murmurs and it is. The act of walking hand in hand is sweet and safe. It has a comfort in it, too, that he cannot place.

 

“Agreed. Don’t feel pressured into any contact that…” Hanzo’s words drift off as Jesse nods.

 

“Just take it slow on me, darlin’. I don’t exactly know what we are,” Jesse admits as they mount the stairs to the spot they first met.

 

The cowboy freezes on the last step as he sees the blanket set to overlook the ocean. A bottle of whiskey and two tumbles sit next to a bucket of ice.

 

“Too much?” Hanzo asks unsurely as he slips his hand from Jesse’s, leaving the werewolf to stand a moment by himself. He walks to the blanket, sits and busies himself with pouring them both a drink.

 

“Um… it’s a little more romantic than I expected, but it’s mighty nice. Thank you,” Jesse admits as he joins Hanzo on the blanket. He takes the glass gratefully. They lift their respective ones in the air and both down the golden liquid.

 

Jesse makes himself comfortable on the blanket as the dragon pours them another round.

 

“Since you were concerned before about gossip I figured that you would rather be away from prying eyes,” Hanzo admits as he settles next to the werewolf.

 

“I know it shouldn’t have bothered me. I was being pigheaded about what others think.”

 

“I can’t fault you. I spent some time this afternoon in the kitchen and got some… interesting questions from the recruits. They are a rather curious bunch.”

 

“Yeah, what they ask you?” Jesse asks as he sips his drink. Sitting with Hanzo, close but not touching, is nice. The sun is starting to dip into the ocean and there is a shimmering quality to the air that catches in Hanzo’s glossy black hair and makes it shine.

 

“It is not worth repeating in polite conversation,” Hanzo protests, a blush dusting his cheeks.

 

“Ah, dick questions. Go on, I’m no shrinking violet.”

 

Hanzo looks like he isn’t going to repeat the questions, but when his eyes meet Jesse’s the werewolf smiles reassuringly and the dragon releases a held breath.

 

“First they asked me if I had two in dragon form. Then if my penis is barred. They then proceeded to ask if I have a cloaca and what it’s like to have my penis retract into my body while changing.”

 

As he speaks Hanzo becomes redder, his embarrassment clear. Jesse is glad he could warn the dragon before about the questions, even if Jesse himself was unprepared to answer any of them.

 

“Humans are curious about sex,” Jesse says lamely before taking another sip of whiskey. “Bet your transformation would shock them, suddenly popping into another form.”

 

Hanzo is quiet for a long moment, draining his glass and pouring himself another. Jesse follows suite.

 

“No one has ever seen me change before. It’s supposed to be… intimate, a show of trust. Dragons will change with their mate and… engage in coupling. A strong dragon is born from such intimacy. Since it is in our natures to try and kill each other in this form you can imagine that this does not happen often.”

 

Jesse drains another glass; he is getting a buzz from drinking in such quick succession on an empty stomach. Hanzo stops him from pouring another.

 

“This is not a conversation that is putting you at ease. Let’s change the subject and have some dinner. I hope you enjoy what I have prepared.” Hanzo leans back and pulls a hidden basket from behind a couple of storage crates.

“You did all this?” Jesse asks in amazement as the dragon pulls food from the basket.

 

“I did. I wanted this to be more special than simply cafeteria food.” Hanzo admits, a small smile on his face at Jesse’s appreciation.

 

Jesse helps set out the food, oohing and aahing at the dishes and the effort Hanzo had gone through. Typical Korean barbeque is mixed in with potato salad and coleslaw, giving them both ample choices. He praises the meal as he tastes each dish and the dragon seems pleased with everything transpiring.

 

“You are a fantastic cook. Did your mother teach you? Genji sure doesn’t have your talents.”

 

“No, my mother wasn’t fond of cooking. The kitchen staff would teach me in secret,” Hanzo says softly as if he reveres the memory.

 

“Doesn’t sound like your mom was around much either,” Jesse says quietly. Hanzo shrugs.

 

“If I was loved, it was never felt, but I was never mistreated. I had no delusions of being anything but the head of the family and I worked towards that goal. Only after I betrayed Genji did I come to realize the evilness of our clan.”

 

“Is that when your hair started turning grey?” Jesse asks, gently touching the side of Hanzo’s head. Even shaven the hair is soft. For just a moment the dragon leans into the touch, enjoying the simple touch.

 

“Yes, it is the mark of wisdom in my kind. None of my family possessed even a single grey hair.”

 

“Its suites you. It’s regal,” Jesse murmurs still stroking his fingers through the dragon’s hair. Hanzo reaches up, undoing the tie that holds his hair back and the silky mass cascades down his shoulders. The dragon’s eyes close in pleasure as Jesse’s fingers moves on his scalp. So much like the blue little dragon. Jesse’s fingers move lower, racking through his beard before resting on his jaw. The dragon’s eyes open, landing on Jesse’s own. His tongue darts out, wetting his lips.

 

Jesse leans forward, barely thinking. He could blame the alcohol in his veins or the softness of Hanzo’s eyes but really it is the dragon himself. So calm and patient and Jesse is curious.

 

The dragon meets him halfway and their kiss is tender, sweet and a little sad. Sad because their lonely lives have seeped into their very beings and finding another to share this burden with is bitter, but needed. Long overdue.

 

Jesse doesn’t feel sparks; his world doesn’t spin out of control or tremble around him. It’s not like he had been led to believe, but kissing the dragon is warm and sensual.

 

Jesse has never been turned on by anyone, only taking care of his base needs when his body demanded, but he can understand the notion as they kiss, Hanzo’s lips lighting his flesh on fire with gentle touches.

 

The werewolf is the first to pull away, his face flushed and his heart racing. If he had his tail it would be tapping out a samba against the blanket.

 

“Wow, I have never felt that,” Jesse says with a low whistle. Hanzo blushes deeper, his hands seeking out the cowboy’s, needing to touch and make sure he is real. Needing to know that it isn’t a dream, as if physically holding on to the werewolf could keep their feelings fresh forever.

 

“It’s not too fast for you?” Hanzo asks as their fingers interlace.

 

“Maybe? I won’t lie, I am a little tipsy and have been stressing about the whole ‘being together thing’ this whole afternoon. I…” Jesse looks away from Hanzo, embarrassed about admitting his short comings, but human Hanzo is patient just like the dragon had been and he continues.

 

“I tried to jerk off while thinking about you… while trying to figure out what to think about you… you know, sexy things and… please don’t take this the wrong way, but I couldn’t.”

 

Hanzo remains quiet for a long moment before bringing his fingers up to rake his nails though Jesse’s beard. The werewolf sighs at the touch.

 

“I am flattered that you tried, but I don’t have any expectations. If we do progress to that step we will do so with your consent. If something feels good for you I am happy to oblige you,” Hanzo says matter-of-factly. Jesse shakes his head.

 

“Can’t have it all be about me. What about your needs?”

 

“The only thing I need now is for you to feel confident and comfortable around me... and perhaps to learn how to change into a dragon at will. I would very much enjoy playing in the grass with you again,” Hanzo says with a soft smile.

 

“Oh darlin’, that would make me very happy,” Jesse purrs as he leans in and places a rough kiss on Hanzo’s cheek. The dragon smiles as they pull apart, returning to their meal.

 

Jesse is more relaxed as they swap stories and talk about possible ways Hanzo could learn to transform. Soon the sun has disappeared into the water.

 

They lie on the blanket looking up at the sky. More whiskey running through them, but not to the point of drunkenness. There are small touches, their palms pressing against each other, the touch of a hand on a cheek or shoulder and both are content.

 

 _Perhaps dragons aren’t so bad after all,_ Jesse muses. _Perhaps I can love both the man and the little blue dragon after all._

 

The End.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be honest when I started this chapter I didn't know that it will be the last. I didn't have a clear read on the date and it could have gone terribly bad.
> 
> That said I think this is a good place to end, since them getting together was always the point of this. They are not perfect but who is? 
> 
> That all said I will be doing one final chapter, the epilogue. I think they need one final chapter to close this all off nicely.


	13. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit by Lizar thank you

__Hanzo steps out onto the grass, kicking off his shoes before sliding his pants down.

  
“If you are wrong about this…” he warns half-heartedly. Jesse steps up beside him, as naked as his lover under the pale moon.

  
“Trust me, sweetheart, you can do this,” the werewolf assures as his hand settles on the dragon’s waist, pulling him in for a final kiss. “Go on.”

  
A soft fizzle fills the air with lightning before an earsplitting pop sees the man gone and the little blue dragon twisting in the air around Jesse’s arm.

  
The werewolf smirks as the dragon twists up to his face and Jesse kisses his snout, scratching behind his ridges and horns.

  
“There you are, and you were worried,” the werewolf laughs as the dragon flicks his tail fluff at him before circling around the cowboy in the air, just out of reach.

  
Jesse stands watching the dragon stretching and twisting in the air, enjoying the freedom flight gives him. This doesn’t last long. As soon as Hanzo notices Jesse watching him the dragon floats over, pressing his claws against the werewolf’s shoulder.

  
“Alright, sorry for admiring you,” Jesse murmurs before he shifts, releasing a howl into the night.

  
Hanzo mimics the howl before bobbing his head in a laugh of his own. Jesse bounds up to the little blue dragon, licks him and then bounds off into the night, followed closely by a little blue dragon, trying desperately to catch the werewolf and win their game.

 

Hanzo and Jesse lie naked in the grass afterwards, panting with exhaustion. Above them the sky is splattered with stars, one occasionally breaking off to dart towards the horizon while crickets chirp all around them, oblivious to the beauty of the night’s sky. The werewolf’s fingers toy with the dragon’s now almost completely grey hair.

  
“It’s a nice addition,” the werewolf mutters. “What did you learn this time, darlin’?”

  
“You always ask,” Hanzo teases bumping his shoulder against Jesse playfully. “What if it is something private?”

  
“You’ve always told me before, just assumed you enjoy sharing your life lessons with me.”

  
“I do,” Hanzo confirms with a smile that burns love into Jesse’s heart.

  
The dragon turns on his side, looking down at the werewolf, thinking long and hard.

  
“To let go and enjoy the moment,” he answers, leaning in and kissing the cowboy. He can feel Jesse smiling against his lips.

  
“That all? You have turned into quite the silver fox, darlin’. It seems like such a small thing to gain this lovely color.”

  
“And…,” Hanzo pauses, turning shy for a moment. Jesse’s large eyes and easy, encouraging smile have him continue. “That I will love you forever.”

  
The lopsided smile that softens Jesse’s features is all that Hanzo ever expects.

They both know this, but the word ‘forever’ burns the sentiment into Jesse and he realizes that this holds true for him as well. He will love Hanzo forever and he wants to make love. He wants them connected in this moment as they lay together in the grass under the stars.  
He pulls Hanzo close, kisses him and then rolls onto his back, pulling Hanzo on top of him and letting Hanzo rest between his legs, as he wraps them around the dragon.

  
Hanzo searches Jesse’s face for any indication that he is uncomfortable but the werewolf is warm and his naked body below the dragon lets him know that Jesse is interested in what’s to come.

  
“I should earn some silver too because I love you too, darlin', forever,” Jesse murmurs, gripping the dragon tightly, “and I know you’ll be gentle.”

  
“Always,” Hanzo breathes, setting Jesse’s soul on fire with his gentle touches.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am very sad to see this end. It has been a fun ride and I really loved writing this. I do think that this needed an end. As much fun as writing this is I know it can’t go on forever. Still very sad, but a good sad.


End file.
